Kinetic Sky
by Howlitzer
Summary: No greater good. No just cause. United in body and soul, a pair of daring heroes battle a phantom from their momentous past. The turning wheel of fate drives them forward. This is the beginning of revolution. [P3S]
1. Revolver Action

a/n: Endlessly, a proving ground. Another project that I'll look after. Let's see how far we can make it fly. If you're tuning in, hopefully you enjoy the ride.

* * *

"Alright, I've got beef ravioli, black beans, and tomato paste. Mm...these noodles don't look too bad, either."

"..."

He leaned back in his chair and watched as she punctured the cans with a small knife, then pried them back like paper with one dainty finger. The remaining fluorescent light cast a dull glow over the combination kitchen and dining area. The white tiles were coming up from the ground and spotted with dirt.

A burst of heat came from the gas stove, and she hummed to herself as she set the pot down with its broken handle. She grabbed a paper towel and wet it under the tap before wiping down some of her surroundings.

"It's not exactly home, but it'll do." She turned her head to give him a smile, her green eyes still bright with happiness. The pink quills and soft fur that she had let grow out to a wavy length made her look grown up enough. Something like a Hollywood actress, even now with the small bits of dirt that crept in. Some of that styled hair liked to cross over her right eye, and she would brush it back gently or toss her head to make it shift.

The All-American beauty, Amy Rose.

He closed his eyes for a few moments and slightly moved the red scarf at his neck. Two golden rings with unreadable inscriptions were on his wrists, just underneath the cuffs of his blue and white gloves.

Amy wiped her hands on her rolled up jeans and pulled down her shirt on reflex. She frowned as she could see a bit of midriff showing. Did it shrink somehow?

She returned her attention to the stove and stirred the mishmash of ingredients. A few minutes passed with her humming quietly and occasionally stirring, until she felt that everything was ready.

"Here ya go~! One Amy Rose Mystery Meal, fresh off the stove!"

"Thanks, Rosie-o."

"You got it!"

He opened his eyes and saw the pot in front of him, resting on the table and burning the wood.

"Where's yours?"

"Mm?"

"Your plate."

"Nothing for me. It's fine."

He sighed and reached to pull her down by the waist into his lap. He stuck a gloved finger in her face. "Don't you do that."

"What?"

"That. It's not gonna make me happy, and it's bad for your health."

"You know you need your strength, Sonic."

"Ah, geez. Amy...what kind of husband doesn't take care of his wife?"

"Um..."

"A bad one. Ya ditz." He poked her on the nose, making her frown.

"Hey."

"Go ahead and eat with me."

"Fine. It's really okay?"

He nodded and she stood up to get another chair. He handed her the wooden spoon and she hesitantly ate from the hot pot.

"It'll be fine, Amy. We just have to get down to the next station and take it out. Then we can grab another bite."

"Okay. I'm sorry, I was just..."

"You don't need to apologize," he said with a tender smile. "You were just being you."

"Yeah. Thanks for looking after me, too," she added with her own smile, blushing.

"And that. You don't need to do that. That's my job."

She passed him the spoon as she finished eating. "Half should be okay?"

"More than fine. Muchos gracias, Chef." He quickly ate the mixture of beans, meat, and tomatoes. "You really are a magician, you know?"

"I try," Amy said modestly.

"I believe it."

She looked at the calendar on the wall nearby. Had it really been only a week? It seemed much longer.

"Well, I'm good. Let's mosey," Sonic said, flexing his strong legs as he stood up. "Gonna let that food settle..."

"Yeah. We'll start walking." Amy strode to the door, sneakers squeaking against the tiles. She opened the door and Sonic followed, adjusting his scarf.

Smoke wafted up from where the pot had burned itself into the table.

* * *

Sonic + Amy ~ _A turning wheel of fate_

* * *

Revolutionary Operation Type Zero: ** Kinetic Sky**


	2. Revolver Action 2

a/n: We stay way up. Glad to have you on board, all. Let's fly. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **02\. Revolver Action, Act 2**

* * *

It started a week earlier.

A pair of eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the early morning light. She made sure she wasn't dreaming and when she was sure she wasn't, she smiled. She hopped up out of her bed and from beneath the covers in her cotton underwear, twirling happily.

The long mirror was where it always was, and she posed in front of it, raising a flexible leg high and holding it near her head, tongue stuck out playfully. Another series of twirls. She bent forward and blew her reflection a silky kiss, the essence of a heart popping silently against the glass. Tousled her long hair with excitement and satisfaction.

"What a time to be alive!"

She pranced into the bathroom on tip toe and examined herself under the bright lights surrounding the mirror. Nothing new to report, no problems. Wonderful. She shed her remaining clothing and hummed as she hopped into the glass shower stall.

A few minutes later, she walked elegantly into the kitchen, dressed in a red shirt and snug jeans, the legs rolled up neatly. Snug enough to fit, but not too snug as to stick to her. A perfect balance. The shirt she liked, it was soft and hugged her body nicely.

"Not back yet. I'll make breakfast, then."

She opened the fridge and got to work, efficient and focused. Pancakes, an omelette loaded with vegetables, warm hot chocolate, apple juice. And a side of chili, heated up. Amy set everything on the table and leaned back against the marble counter, sipping a warm cup of tea. The steam wafted up, illuminated in the light coming from the outside windows.

She smiled again. The house was one of his wedding gifts to her. Built from the ground up, entirely open concept. Made a lot of people terribly jealous. The house really only had the four walls on the ground floor, and because of it was constantly filled with light in the daytime. The book club ladies were in love with the idea. But it was a ridiculous kind of house to build. You needed the assistance of certain boy geniuses.

The front door clicked open before closing shut again.

"Sorry 'bout that. Took a little longer at the shop than usual."

"It's fine," she called back.

Arriving to breakfast was none other than Sonic the Hedgehog, hero of Earth. He wore a smile and carried a bouquet of pink roses.

"Sonic...wait, today is...ah."

"You forgot? You're worse than me," he said with a chuckle.

"I didn't exactly forget. I mean, I did get you something. But I forgot it was today today. You know?"

He gave her a gentle kiss. "Just joshin' ya, Amers. Here ya go, fresh roses. Actually, I haven't been at the shop since last night. Took a detour for those and something else."

Sonic strolled to the table and sat down, folding one leg over top of the other. The golden buckle on his shoe glimmered in the light. Amy set the roses in a vase and hurried back to the table to fix his plate.

"Where'd you go?"

"Ah...Tails said there was somethin' going on at a small island way out. So I flew the Tornado over to see what the deal was. Zilch. Some kind of...electromagnetic well was there earlier, though. Might have to do a pass later."

"That's fine."

"Wanna come with?"

"Nah, I'll wait here. But thanks for asking."

"You don't need to thank me. Husband, remember? My job's looking after that tush of yours, Rosie-o."

She had almost forgotten. One year ago, they actually did get married.

A small ceremony that took place on South Island. Where else but Green Hill, with a gathering of close friends. Of course, once the news hit Station Square, everyone exploded.

One of the perks of living on the outer limits was less hassle from the media. Less being the operative word.

"Nothing like a classic Amy Rose breakfast," Sonic said as he patted his stomach. Lost in her thoughts, Amy hadn't noticed him eating. He made an OK sign with one hand and kissed it. "Primo meal and deal."

"Geez. Stop that," she said with a blush.

"Can't stop, won't stop. Oh, I wanted to see if something was on the tube just now. Let's just do that and then I might take a nap." Sonic pushed his chair out and started to take away the empty plates.

"Hold it, mister."

"Amy. Really."

"I'm the wife."

"Gender roles are circa 1991, dudette. Lemme stuff 'em in the dishwasher." She took the plates away and he shrugged. "Yes'm. I'll fire up the idiot box, then."

Amy shook her head as he left.

"Oy! Technology."

"What's up?" she called from the kitchen.

"Tall, dark, and flat ain't taking orders today."

"Maybe we can call Tails."

"I'll have a looksie myself, won't take long."

Amy rolled her eyes and walked over to the cordless phone. She pressed the first number on speed dial.

She was confused by the sound of hurried breathing. Wrong number? No, that wasn't right.

"If you...can hear this. Something's wrong. It's...cyberforming. If you can hear this, cyberforming is happening. I don't know how but Eggman - Robotnik - has technology. Instant cyber formation. Changing the structure of Earth. A lot of killer robots. Terminator types. It's happening fast - over - via aerial bombing similar to the atomic bomb campaigns. Station Square - hit - gonna hit Station Square in 4 hours 45 minutes from the time of this transmission. Sonic left to check out the spike I told him about. He's too far from the new shop, he won't know in time...I hope you've called this number, Amy. I hope you figure this out - crap - no time - Eggman's got me. I gotta turn - but it'll be okay. He's arrogant. I'll be fine. I think he - the others. He has them too. Geometrically the closest - but not Shadow. Maybe Rouge or Omega. I'm sending her overt transmission - Angel Island is in the ocean again - you guys have gotta do it. If it's you two - - -"

"...oh. Oh dear," she said flatly.

"Rosie-o! Go ahead and call Tails! I'm stumped!"

"Sonic? Darling? Sugar?"

"That's me. What's up?" he asked as he walked back to the kitchen.

"You should hear-"

They both became aware of a loud noise. Something screaming through the air and a sonic boom. Sonic's fur stood on end.

"Is that a-"

"Oh dear oh boy oh my goodness."

They turned to where the house would be facing Station Square.

And in that spot was a blinding flash of light.

The sky was torn apart and a giant ripple of energy came at them like a wave. Sonic slapped the phone out of Amy's hands as a spark shot up from it.

"EMP? What in the sixteen hells is going on...?"

"Sonic."

He looked into his wife's fearful eyes.

"He got Tails. Eggman got Tails. And the others. Angel Island is in the water. Cyberforming. Eggman is dropping bombs and making the world metal."

Sonic nodded slowly and looked on as the light faded from Station Square. And indeed, the sun was shining off of buildings of black metal. The localized sky was dark with clouds, but everything around it, outside of the city was clear. But the darkness was spreading, with lightning bolts shooting down periodically from the clouds.

"What are we looking at...? Sonic?"

"Dunno," he muttered. "Tails is..."

"He said that Eggman wasn't gonna do anything. Yet."

"Yet."

"That's all he had time to say."

"Well." Sonic scratched the back of his head. "This ain't good."

Amy turned her head to see something coming through the window.

"That's not much better."

Sonic nodded and carried her into the bedroom as the missile slammed through the house and exploded. They scrambled for their things. Amy grabbed the mallet-shaped pendant from her dresser and slid it onto her wrist. She dropped to the floor and pulled on her pink sneakers. In a good position, she pulled a box out from under the bed as Sonic snapped two rings over his wrists and swapped out his shoes for a pair of newer ones. Grabbed a handful of Chaos Drives and tossed them into that surreal space at his back.

"Here. Present."

"Is this the time?"

They heard the front door explode into splinters.

"Yes."

"Fine." He opened it up. A warm-looking red scarf and a pair of custom, blue and white patterned gloves. Last of all was a small chip on the bottom. He grabbed the chip and shoved it into a tiny slot near the bottom of his left foot. Wrapped the scarf neatly around his neck. Swapped out the gloves.

"You're the best, Ames. Hey, I'm sorry. I had my present stashed at that nice restaurant we went to a while back."

"It's okay. We're fresh outta time."

"Yeah, kinda."

"I'll lead." The bipedal machine forced itself through the opening to the room. Amy stepped forward with no effort and punched it backwards, sending it through the opening on the other side of the house. She stepped out and looked at her ruined kitchen, then cracked her knuckles with an annoyed look. Sonic waved the smoke away from his face and watched his wife go to work. The robots kept pouring in and she grabbed one to use as a makeshift bat, letting out frustrated grunts with each swing. Metal flew everywhere at once and Sonic ducked a severed head. The swath of strange bipedal machines thinned. He looked at the melting cabinets on the floor and sighed.

"She really liked that kitchen."

He followed her trail of carnage as the house continued to burn.


	3. Revolver Action 3

a/n: It's open season. Thanks for tuning in again. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **03\. Revolver Action, Act 3**

* * *

"Where'd you park it?"

"Up ahead. Right there."

"I see it. Alright, let's get a move on."

Sonic and Amy reached the Tornado and hopped inside. He did the usual pre-flight check as the robots advanced, flipping the requisite switches while muttering procedure. They ran quickly on two legs, cables bundled together and exposed on their limbs. Their bodies were all strange and variable in shape. It was the same with their heads. And the spaces where their eyes would be were replaced with wide horizontal bands of black glass.

"Sonic?" Amy asked with worry.

"Almost done. Alright, here we go. Buckle up-"

"Just go! Go go go!"

"Alright, sheesh. Just being a responsible pilot." He started up the engine smoothly and the propeller spun. The plane lurched forward before cutting a path through the swarm of robots, some of the propeller's paint traded off to the shredded remains of machinery. Sonic soon brought the plane into the sky, safely away.

Amy hit him in the back of the head as soon as they started to cruise.

"Ow."

"Idiot. You did that on purpose," she whined.

"Just trying to lighten the mood, yeah?"

"Reckless idiot." She hit him again softly before rubbing his head in apology. Her eyes drifted down to the burning remnants of her home. Only a year, but so many memories. So many possibilities. She didn't even get a chance to set up the nursery like she wanted to...

"Sonic?"

"Yeah?"

Her eyes drifted to the darkening skies. "Do you think everyone else is really okay?"

He was silent in thought. "Yeah. After all...I'm the real prize he's after."

"I don't want you to go. There's a negative vibration."

He looked back at her and their eyes met. He nodded.

"Okay. What're you thinking?"

"We'll need everyone to help us on the way at the least. Some events feel like they'll need a strong flow."

"The two of us should be enough for most of it. We just need to put in a bit more effort."

"You're probably right."

"Where's the next stop?" he asked her. She closed her eyes for a moment before snapping them open.

"It's faint...but West Side Island. That's the first place."

"Hell of a nostalgia trip," Sonic said with a smirk. "Well, if you're saying that's the one, then it's the one. Let's go." He banked the plane left and away from the metallic shell of Station Square. The skies became clear and blue again, allowing them both to see into the distance.

All along the horizon, the same thing that was happening to Station Square was occurring in a tremendous amount of other places. Their localized sections of airspace were expanding, the dark clouds of one area merging with another to create ever-growing storm cells.

"He was waiting for this day," Amy said with realization. "No wonder everything up 'till now looked like it was lacking effort."

"Nobody could figure out where he was," Sonic said. "Even if we wanted to stop him for good, we couldn't. Still, this is one heck of a plan."

"Yeah..."

"Hey, it'll be okay."

"I...yeah. Tails said in that message...he said that if anyone could do it, it was us," she said solemnly.

"Then let's prove him right."

"Yeah. We will," she said with determination. She gripped the edge of her seat in frustration, the plane starting to climb above the clouds.

* * *

 _"To overcome yourself is to overcome reality. And to overcome reality is to overcome the world. You wanna run with me, right? Then you gotta take on the world and win. And you keep doing that for the rest of your life. That's how you become brave. That's how you become truly strong."_

* * *

Amy lifted her hand from the silvery grass.

"I...can't feel anything."

"..."

"It's worse than I thought." She looked out into the distance, across the once lovely Emerald Hill.

Everything was made of black metal.

The trees were twisted sculptures. The water still flowed freely, but was void of all colour. There were no signs of life.

"You said it was this way, right?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and nodded. "Y-yeah. This way, further down. Seems like it's near the end of the zone." They started to run across the hills and bridges that made up the area. Lightning flashed through the pitch black sky.

"Nothing like old times," Sonic said. "Whatever the hell Eggman did to the place, it's all sorts of creepy...even for him."

"Yeah. How could he even think of something like this?"

"Maybe we've been underestimating him all these years, somehow. Whatever the case, he's got the edge right now."

The two slowed down and came to a stop near the edge of Emerald Hill. The grassy hills started to bleed into the ruins of an abandoned plant. Metallic flora twisted around the bridge leading on ahead.

Directly in front of them was a small metal silo, reaching about seven feet into the air. A low hum came from it as a red light periodically flashed on and off. Amy placed her hand against the cold steel and closed her eyes.

"This...this is it. This is what I felt earlier. Sonic, there's...life in here. I mean, the life that should be here."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"It's like...whatever this thing is, it sucked away the essence of life that was here, and replaced it with...all of this. This might be what those bomb shells were carrying inside."

"Okay. So we just-"

"No. We can't. We don't know what will happen if we just release the energy like that. It might not even return to where it came. This...cyberforming? What Tails called it. It seems like there's more to it," Amy said. "I just don't know what those things could be yet."

"So what do we do now?" Sonic asked.

"Leave it to me, darling," she said with a smile. Amy stood silently and clasped her hands together. A soft glow came from her body as she focused, reaching out with her energies to feel the world around her. Inside of the silo was a collection of glowing spheres, tightly packed together and barely moving. The inside of the silo was coated with an inky black barrier that prevented the spheres from escaping. She could also see Sonic, his form enveloped by light blue flames as he folded his arms and waited. The chemical plant had no life in it, so she started to search further out. The same silos were out over the island, with the same inky black barriers inside. She pushed herself further and tried to extend her reach to the entire island.

 _There's something...all the way out. Ocean...? A vast amount of...is it oil...? I..._

"Amy."

"Ah?!"

"It's okay. That's enough." Sonic pried her hands apart and she nodded, breathing deeply.

"Sorry. I tried to..."

"A whole island is way too much. Be careful, yeah? Reckless idiot," he said with a cheeky smile.

"Jerk." He gave her a kiss and she smiled. "I found something."

"Yeah?"

"It looked like a black ocean made of oil. Or some large body of water."

"Oil Ocean," Sonic said with realization. He adjusted his scarf. "How'd it look?"

"Like...it hadn't changed at all."

"I bet he's using it for operations. So Tails is there?"

"I could feel him, but it was faint. Either he's in a weird place, or..." She shook her head. "I don't want to think about it."

Sonic put a hand gently on her shoulder. "We'll get him back," he said confidently. "That's our lil' bro, after all."

"Yeah. That's right," she said with a nod.

"No killer robots in sight, then."

"I can't say. Even back at the house, I couldn't really feel them like everything else."

Sonic frowned. "Alright. Gotta keep our guards up, then. Let's motor, Ames."

"Got it."

They took off together across the metallic bridge, into what were now parts unknown.


	4. Revolver Action 4

a/n: North side 'till the end. Tune in for a fresh episode. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **04\. Revolver Action, Act 4**

* * *

Dashing over the transparent waters, the pair quickly made their way to the end of Aquatic Ruin. Nothing of consequence had occurred on their run so far...aside from two more of the strange silos, an eerie silence had taken over the entirety of West Side Island. Barely a noise other than the sound of rapidly moving feet against metal.

Now it was getting much darker than usual. Sonic slowed down before coming to a stop near the edge of the zone. Amy slid to a halt behind him.

"Sonic? What's wrong?"

"Even here..."

"Hm?"

"The way Casino Night is set up...it's gonna be hard to navigate on sight. There's zero visibility and it's a long drop to the ground floor."

Amy nodded. "And the enemy we're facing...I can't really 'see' them either."

"Yeah. I got an idea. You just gotta stay close to me."

"Okay."

"First, let's make our way down. I remember this drop pretty clearly." He scooped Amy into his arms and jumped from the ledge overlooking the darkness. She closed her eyes and snuggled into his warmth as they fell. The rushing wind and sensation of falling was certainly surreal, she realized. Thunder sounded in the distance, and she felt the movement of his body. The sound of the wind changed and she could tell they were falling near tall buildings. Then they were getting closer, until...a tremor from where he kicked off, and then another, and another in rapid succession. They flew horizontally before hitting the ground again in a slide.

She opened her eyes to see that he was looking over her calmly.

"No worries?"

"Yeah. No worries," she said with a smile. He nodded and set her down. "Were you going to use what Tikal gifted you all that time ago? The Ancient Light?"

"Yeah. It's fine...here." He tapped his foot on the ground and had his shoes glow with a bright white light. His form and the area for a few feet around him was illuminated. "It'll chew up some energy, but no biggie."

"As long as you're sure. Let's hurry out of here, then."

"We're up pretty high. Remember, stay close."

"Okay." Amy clung to his arm and they walked forward at a leisurely pace. Many of the buildings were connected by small catwalks, which made traversal much easier.

"Are you worried?" he asked suddenly as they continued to walk.

"Huh? Oh...yeah, I am. About everything. The world...our friends. And us. This was so sudden, and it's totally unlike anything before...I'm a bit scared,"she said.

"I can't wrap my head around any of this either. Anything that can do this is pretty dangerous. First Station Square and now this..."

"Yeah. I just can't figure out how to reverse it at all..."

"It's fine. We'll think of something," he said. "I know we will. Hey, we're almost to the next area."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Hill Top...hm. I think we should be okay once we get past this gap here." He shook his foot out over the edge of the building, revealing the abyss below briefly. "Might have to crank up the light, since I'm not too familiar with this exit."

Amy started to speak before feeling a chill run down her spine. There was no life around them, but...she could feel something. Something...no. No, she knew this feeling.

Him.

She let go of Sonic's arm and the pendant on her right wrist glowed white. She swung with an empty hand, a hammer appearing out of thin air. Her fingers quickly wrapped around its handle as she made impact, sending something sliding backwards with a metallic clang.

"You really are a bothersome woman. How could you detect me while I had my cloaking at full power?"

"Of all the rotten luck," Sonic muttered. He turned and the light from his sneakers faintly illuminated the enemy ahead.

One who should not exist.

His robot doppelganger, Metal Sonic.

"My loathsome copy. How are you faring this fine day?"

"What the hell's Eggman up to?" Sonic demanded, skipping over the issue of his appearance. "This is a new low for him, as I'm sure you know."

"All is going according to plan."

"..." Amy could sense something was off.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, an edge to his tone.

"I supplied the Doctor with the means, and he supplied me with the methods. That was all there was to it, my organic... _friend_."

"We scrapped you," Amy said. "We scrapped you in every way possible and you couldn't have come back from that. We turned you into confetti. I'll never forget that day."

"Amy..."

"I'll never forget what you did..."

"Amy. Don't let him."

"...I know. I..." She shook her head and took a deep breath. "Right."

"Such fragile feelings," Metal Sonic replied in an even, flat tone. "But I suppose that is par for you organics. I have noticed that you seem more protective of the pink one, 'other me'."

"'Other me'? I knew you had a few screws loose but it's a bit much now, ain't it?" Sonic mocked.

"You cherish her even more now than you did on that day."

"Don't try it, Metal," he growled.

Something akin to a sinister, provoking look came from the glowing red eyes of the robot. "It seems she still recalls the fear that I instilled in her so many years ago. You cannot protect her from me completely. Not when I already have invaded her mind."

Sonic stepped forward, anger tinting his green eyes.

"Upset because my assessment is correct?"

He said nothing as he stood in place. The light from his shoes brightened.

"Your energy output is increasing. What is it you want to do, copy?"

"I wanna grind you into the dirt again."

He turned around on one foot. He unclenched his shaking fists.

"But my dance card's already filled."

In a burst of light, he shot forward and grabbed Amy, traveling upwards into the sky at an angle. His momentum carried the two of them forward until they landed on a metallic hill and slid down to the bottom. Sonic let out a breath and set Amy down on her feet.

"Yo, Amy. Thanks for the save back there, eh?"

"I'm sure you sensed him too."

He shrugged. "It was a bit faint, honestly. Whatever spy tech he's got now is hella good."

"I just...remembered that essence," Amy said quietly. She wrapped her arms around herself. "It's not something I know how to forget."

"Is he..."

"...sometimes. Yes. He's there." She closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Amy-"

"It's not your fault! Sonic, I mean...you shouldn't feel bad about it. I chose to follow you, no matter what. And besides, we beat him. He's not supposed to be..."

"Yeah...too bad he couldn't stay down," he muttered.

"..." Amy looked back to where Casino Night was, in the distance. Still shrouded in complete darkness.

The red eyes. She could see them clearly in her mind again.

Sonic pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. She hugged back and gratefully buried herself in his warmth, soaking in it so that she could try to forget that phantom.

Lightning pierced the darkness in slow intervals.


	5. Revolver Action 5

a/n: Keep shining. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **05\. Revolver Action, Act 5**

* * *

"Caves. Gotta love 'em."

"…"

Sonic and Amy stood in front of the entrance to Mystic Cave. As expected, it was pitch black with barely any way to see inside.

"It'll take a bit of effort, but we can make it pretty easily if we want."

"That's too much," Amy said. "Even if you lifted the restrictions."

Sonic looked at the rings around his wrists.

"Well, what do you suggest?"

"We have to backtrack from the next place over. That's Metropolis, right?"

"Yeah. Out on the other side of the mountains. But we can't exactly run the whole way, it's still too dark up here."

"Then we can walk. I can feel out where Tails is…in the same place as before. It seems like he's stabilized."

"Really? Okay," he said. "In that case, let's loop back around. Maybe then we can pinpoint where he's being held. And in that case, since Oil Ocean is opened up from the air…" Sonic tapped the ring on his left wrist and a holographic screen came up. He whistled while sliding through a list. "Okay, there it is. Automatic setting…Amy, how far do you think we're headed?"

"Mm…set it for about fifty-five miles."

"Fifty-five it is." He touched the screen and then shook his wrist once to make it disappear. "Alright, let's make tracks across this mountain range. Tails might be fine, but I think we still gotta hurry for the sake of Earth."

"Yeah."

"Want a lift?" he asked her.

"I can make it on my own."

"But…" He gave her a smile and she sighed.

"But I'd enjoy a ride."

He knelt down and she hopped onto his back, resting safely against his flattened quills. She gently placed her arms around his neck as he stood up and started walking, holding her in place. A flash of lightning showed the once majestic mountain range, now coated in a layer of black metal.

She closed her eyes, deciding to occupy herself with memories.

* * *

"I'd say that's decisive enough!"

Sonic sneered at Eggman, standing on top of his overturned Eggmobile as the doctor was laid out on the ground. The blue hedgehog was covered in cuts and scrapes, blood leaking from a cut on his brow. Some of his fur was singed black and there were tears in his tough gloves.

Behind him were the remains of three Egg Dragoons, fully upgraded and loaded with weapons.

"Ya pushed me…that was a heck of a fight, Doc. Ya really pushed me this time."

The sound of explosions went off in the distance. Eggman's factory complex was being blown apart piece by piece. Flying machines fell from the sky, riddled with bullet holes. The tarmac where Sonic and friends stood was peppered with holes, gouges, and burn marks.

"But it's over," Sonic said triumphantly. "And you ain't getting away this time. I'm gonna put an end to the games."

"You're going to kill me?"

"Nah. That's passe," Sonic said as he hopped down from the overturned machine. Sparks sputtered from it as it fell over. "And not my style, besides."

"…"

Sonic paused as he saw Eggman hesitate. "I'm not gonna kick you when you're already in the dirt. I think I'm about ready to grow up…a little. And that probably means-"

The groaning of metal snapped him out of his speech.

"What?"

Eggman looked on as a metallic arm creaked and brought a drill-like spear upwards, pointing it straight into the air. It fired, throwing up an explosion as the object flew into the sky before coming back down.

"Shoot! Where's it going…gotta stop it!"

Sonic sprinted towards his friends some distance away before he saw something happening. His mind raced as he slowly watched the trajectory of the rocketing spear change.

 _You've gotta be kidding me._

He slid to a stop. Checked the energy he had left.

Not enough for both of them.

He cursed to himself.

 _The things I do._

A mellow, resigned smirk.

 _Right. This is what being a hero's all about._

He rushed back towards where Eggman was sitting. Saw his brows rise and his mouth start to stretch out in horror.

"There's one shot…here it is! **Chaos Control!** "

He warped himself in front of Eggman and landed an open palm on the scientist's chest. The man flew back, but not before being sucked into a dimensional tear and getting thrown out some distance away.

"It's on me, Doc."

Sonic turned around, and with the last of his energy gathered a whirling current of blue wind in his palm.

"Well. This one's gonna hurt."

He heard his friends yell for him as he thrust his palm forward.

* * *

Amy opened her eyes to the distinct sound of rushing wind.

"Glad to have you back, Rosie-o. I figured I'd make some headway after I found a flat path."

Sonic was quickly and carefully jogging through the mountain range.

"It's not strictly safe, but…we'll be okay."

"I can't believe it's only been a year," she said.

"Feels a lot longer, eh?"

"Yeah. But in a good way."

He smiled, his eyes on the road ahead. "Marriage is just a formality, anyways. But if there's anything I've learned, it's that girls love having fancy titles."

"A little biased, no?"

"What? It's the truth. I'm not saying you think that's all there is to it, but I don't think you'd be satisfied with all this if we were just…what'd they call it. Domestic partners."

"That's true," she admitted.

"See? I know a few things." A bolt of lightning flashed and she felt him accelerate for a bit before slowing down.

"Do you really think he's behind this?"

"Yeah."

"Even after…that?"

"Yeah. I'm sure it's him. If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. But he was probably setting us up for this-"

"Sonic. Do you remember…Metal Overlord?"

"…"

"You forgot, didn't you?"

"I did," he admitted. "You don't think…"

"We should consider it. That…it might not be his intention after all. Or at least, not totally his will."

"A hostage?"

"It's possible."

"Well, Tails seemed to think it was him…we'll ask our lil' buddy when we get to him."

"That works. We can confirm everything then. Sonic?"

"Yeah, Amy?"

"I know for a fact…that he hasn't forgotten it. Even as much as he's continued to go after us the past few years, I know he remembers. And that he holds it close to his chest."

"…"

Amy closed her eyes again. "I know it's hard to imagine. Especially after all the years you've fought. All of the things that have come between you."

"It's not hard."

"Really?"

"He just wanted to win real bad. But…there wasn't a gap that couldn't be closed. Not completely, anyways. I think if that were the case, he would already be dead a long time ago."

"I know."

"You do?"

"Yes. I just wanted you to remember." She kissed the top of his head. He sighed and allowed himself a smile.

The lightning flashed and he could see the outline of the city. He hopped over a ridge and landed, locking his feet into a slide down the side of the last mountain.

For the first time, bright lights shone in the area ahead.

Metropolis was calling.


	6. Revolver Action 6

It's that time again. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky  
**

 **06\. Revolver Action, Act 6**

* * *

Finally, an abundance of sound.

Hissing steam and moving pistons were audible, the noise clashing with the stark black and grey shades of the area. The normally hot molten steel that would line certain pits was cold, black, and inert.

Despite the shining lights, Sonic and Amy were the only sources of colour in the area again.

"Guess we're heading back towards the entrance of this place," Sonic said.

"Yeah."

"Alright. Might as well get moving..."

"I always wondered about this place," Amy said as they started to jog.

"It's just another one of Eggman's death traps. Nothing too remarkable, I'd say. Probably pick this place over Scrap Brain if I had to be stuck in one."

"Hm...interesting."

Encountering a vertical shaft, the two wall jumped until they reached an opening and continued. With no enemies in sight, the only resistance came from some of the conveyor belts and moving pistons. The city was still as vast as ever. Sonic realized that he hadn't once gone through all of it, even with the amount of time he spent running through.

They reached an open area and noted more of the robots from earlier. Their shapes were unsettling.

"I guess you realized it, too."

Amy's voice brought Sonic out of his thoughts. He nodded in understanding.

"Yeah. And I trashed a bunch of them earlier with the Tornado."

"I did enough damage myself as we left the house. We're both at fault. We need to find a way to reverse the process, if there is a way. Until then, let's be careful."

"What happens if we find out there's no way to change 'em back?" Sonic asked as they started to run again.

"Then we're free to act as we choose," Amy said calmly.

"Alright."

They weaved through the crowd skillfully, taking care not to go too fast or use too much force with their movements. More of the robots were scattered throughout Metropolis, presumably the shells of the inhabitants that had taken up residence in the area since Eggman's retreat many years ago. Sonic and Amy's suspicions were confirmed as they saw distinct chrome bodies, ones with tails and wings and horns. Their eyes were the same black glass bands as the humans were.

"Right...so it was that after all. Not just the essence of life, but...souls." Amy's expression was grim as she looked ahead. "Sonic. We need to hurry and stop this. If this spreads to the entire world, I don't know what will happen. But it's very possible that all life on Earth will be swallowed up and erased. After we find Tails, we need to go straight to Doctor Eggman," she said firmly. "To tamper with life like this..."

"Yeah. We'll get our answers, then we'll paste him."

"Fine by me."

As soon as they were clear of the crowds, they both accelerated and left sonic booms trailing behind.

* * *

"He's still asleep. Tough cookie, that one. Had to bump the sedative up to the max."

It was the first day that she could see him.

There was nothing left to do after she quit her old job. Living frugally, the savings would be enough. Or so she thought. Tails had offered her a place at his workshop, but she politely declined and took Rouge's unusual offer instead. With Shadow away on business, it would just be the two of them and an Eggman-hating robot in that apartment. She would work the bar at Rouge's club in a few weeks once she learned the ropes.

Her life was suddenly in order again, and now she had much in the way of free time. She had been busy, mostly to try and save a decent rainy day fund, but just as much to push away the images from her mind.

Barely conscious. Bleeding profusely. Broken. Dying. She could remember it all, the hot tears on her cheeks, the way she screamed his name as she saw him. The way her stomach churned and she had to turn away to empty it onto the asphalt.

She remembered days running on autopilot, then closing the door to her apartment and collapsing into a ball of tears every night.

It had been two weeks. In that time, she gathered her courage bit by bit.

The nurse ushered her in with a gentle shove, a whiff of marijuana hitting Amy's nose as she found herself inside of the room. She walked up to the edge of his bed, pulling her red jacket close, and finally saw him.

"Take your time. I'll be back in a few."

Amy was barely aware of the nurse leaving as she looked at Sonic.

His head was partially wrapped in bandage, some of it slanted and covering his right eye. His arms were wrapped up completely, right to his fingertips. She cautiously looked under the covers and saw that he had large patches of gauze on his torso. His legs had escaped significant damage, only sporting bandages for a few cuts. The patches of singed fur had fallen out and were starting to grow back naturally.

Over his face was a breathing mask. She could hear it pumping rhythmically, his chest moving up and down in time with the flow of air.

"He is doing much better than before. Breathing mask should be taken off in...a day or two. A strong fellow, yes."

A woman with short blonde hair and a purple tracksuit approached the right side of the bed. She checked the blue hedgehog's chest with her stethoscope and nodded with satisfaction. An ID badge with her looking decidedly more professional was clipped to the front of her jacket.

"Visitor, yes?"

"Ah? I...I mean, yes." Amy politely bowed. "My name's Amy Rose."

"Very nice to meet you," the blonde said with a notable accent. She smiled, her blue eyes sparkling. "Eva Hatzis."

"Greek?"

"Perceptive, perceptive. I like," she said with a smile. "Yes, I have only been here for a few years. Very exciting in America. Amy Rose...yes, I have seen you on the news." She flexed one of her arms and pointed to it. "You are strong, yes?"

"Oh, um...sorta. I mean, I can do a few things."

"You should take pride in that. It's a part of your femininity."

"My...feminine side?" she muttered. Eva lifted one of Sonic's arms to inspect it.

"Anyways, he should be fine for now. I have him on a strong sedative...he was not able to sleep without it, unfortunately. He will be weakened as well. The IV mix I had to concoct is barely giving him what he needs. Amy?"

"Yes?" she replied timidly.

"His diet. What was it? Primary food groups?"

"Chili. And hot dogs. And hot dogs with chili and cheese on top. And soda. That's most of it."

Eva blinked and looked down at Sonic again. "Such a strange body. I know of no science to explain this. It must be providence."

"Y-yeah."

"I will leave you to be with him. That girl, May...she should be back from her recreational activities any moment now."

The brown haired nurse coughed as she entered the room.

"As I suspected. Please make sure the IVs are checked, young lady."

"I got it, doc."

"And try to be more discreet about your smoking. You smell like a fraternity kitchen," Eva said as she bumped May on the way out.

"Snarky bitch."

Amy stood up from her seat beside Sonic and started on her way out.

"Leaving already?"

"Yeah. I have some things I need to take care of. Um...what time do visiting hours start?"

"Nine in the morning."

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow, May."

"Yeah. See ya."

Amy quietly left, and May pulled the curtain back around Sonic's bed as he slept peacefully.

* * *

"He's not that far out. I can feel him now...something is happening, but I don't know what."

"Good or bad?"

Amy focused for a moment. "Bad."

"We're gonna jet, then."

Sonic and Amy took a leap from the platform they were standing on. In the distance, a hum grew in intensity until the Tornado appeared from the darkness. Sonic accelerated in midair and grabbed Amy by the hand, landing with her on the wing of the biplane.

"I'll never figure out how you got the timing down for this," Amy said as she hopped into the back seat.

"Lots of practice."

"You two were bonkers," Amy said as she shook her head.

"It's only crazy if you screw it up," Sonic replied as he slid into the pilot's seat. "Successful insanity is what they call genius, ya know?"

"You're a reckless idiot."

"I know."

She sighed and went back to focusing on the task at hand. "Head right. It's in an enclosure...high above the oil. Sorry, it's not very specific."

"It's fine, you're doing great considering. This freaky weather has gotta be messing with your perception...bet there's a lot of electromagnetic radiation being tossed around right now." Sonic placed a hand underneath his chin. "Might have been why...hm. And the robots. They might be tossing out a field, too."

"We're close. The platform's too small to land the Tornado," Amy said, interrupting him.

"We'll jump off here, then." Sonic typed into the on-board computer and switched on the autopilot. "Five hundred meters."

They readied themselves.

"And...off we go!"

They both jumped from the plane, soaring down towards a building with a flat roof. It was suspended above the now violently moving body of oil below.

"He's in plain sight," Amy said.

"Copy that. We'll go with the Slider this time."

"Alright!"

Sonic spun into a ball, drifting towards Amy. She grabbed the blue ball and launched it forward with incredible strength, a small current of wind forming on the outside before bursting into a giant, snow white cyclone. It cut through the roof and ripped it apart like paper. Sonic rolled around and uncurled before catching Amy in his arms. She hopped ahead and called her hammer to her hands, standing in position. Sonic tapped her on the shoulder and she ran behind him.

"Yeah, I can feel him now. Here we are..."

They came to the back wall of the building.

"Figured you guys would make all that noise. Heh...a sight for sore eyes, though."

"Tails...buddy, you're..."

"Yeah. Real bummer, eh?"

Managing a weary smile, Tails held up his limp, metallic right arm.

"There's a way to fix it."

Sonic and Tails looked at Amy.

"You're going to have to do _that_ ," she said. "Can you trust me?"

Tails gave Sonic a worried look. Sonic raised a brow in response. "Ames, you do know once we lift that seal..."

"I know."

"It took you a long time to-"

"Look. Whatever that thing is, it's going to spread further than your arm," she said, interrupting Tails. "We either do this, or..."

"Up to you, buddy," Sonic said as he folded his arms.

Tails grimaced for a bit before sighing. He nodded.

"Alright. Let's get it done...I just hope this doesn't come back to haunt us later."

Sonic pressed on one of the rings around his wrists, undoing it with a click.

Amy placed a hand on the fox's shoulder, the other pressed firmly against her chest. "Believe you me...we've seen enough ghosts for one day. Sonic?"

"Ready over here."

"Alright," she said with her own grim look. Her green eyes changed to a bright violet. "Let's open up that can of worms. Again."


	7. The Man Who Sold The World

#herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky** **  
**

 **07\. The Man Who Sold The World  
**

* * *

 _I spoke into his eyes_

 _"I thought you died alone_

 _A long long time ago..."_

* * *

"Let's focus…"

Amy kept her hand on Tails' shoulder as red smoke started to rise from his body. He forced his eyes shut as she worked.

"Three," Sonic said.

"Releasing the first stage seal."

"Ugh…" The red smoke started to change into flame.

"Four," Sonic said.

"Releasing the second stage seal."

The metal on Tails' arm began to vibrate. Amy could see that the black substance on the inside of the metal was slowly being repelled by the red flames.

"Five," Sonic said, giving Amy a glance. Tails grit his sharpened teeth, his eyes glowing red.

"It's…s-starting to slip…"

"Amy…"

"I know…it's almost there," she said, breathing heavily.

"Six. How much to go?" Sonic asked.

The flames started to grow in size, streaming from the fox's body. He pounded his free hand on the ground.

"Seven. Alright, that's far enough. Amy, how's it looking?"

"It's starting to separate," she said. Cracks were appearing in the metal, spreading out like a web. "It's working…"

"Tails. Sorry, man," Sonic said as he placed his hand on his brother's back.

"It's okay. Just…do it!"

"Grit those teeth. Here we go." Sonic placed his other hand on Amy's shoulder. He focused and sent a pulse of energy into Tails, making him yell out in pain. The flames stopped growing but still burned brightly.

"Amy?"

"I…okay, it's…done…" She fell backwards and Sonic caught her with one arm, moving the other away from Tails as the red flames died down. One by one, the extra tails that had formed at his back disappeared in wisps of red fire until he was left with two again.

"You okay, bro?"

"I'm fine…" He flexed his arm and the metal fell away from it in pieces. "It actually worked."

"Mm…"

Amy opened her eyes slowly. They had changed back to their usual green colour.

"You okay?" Sonic asked. She nodded and let him help her to her feet.

"I'm okay. Thanks…" She looked over to Tails as he shook out his wrist. "I'm sorry, I know that you wanted to be done with something like that…"

"You saved my life, Amy. It's fine…we might need the extra help, anyways."

"You might be right," Sonic said as he cautiously let Amy stand on her own. "Anyways, do we need to grab anything before we jet?"

"Nope. I've got everything I need for now. Did you guys bring the Tornado?"

"Yeah. But we can't land it as is on the platform. No room."

"That's fine. We can park it."

"Park it?"

"Yup. Just a sec…" He tapped the metal bracelet around his wrist and a holographic screen appeared. After typing in a few commands, it disappeared with a swipe. "Got it. It'll be a few minutes…so let's compare notes while we're here."

"Alright. Amy?"

"Yeah." She breathed out to compose herself. "Sorry, I'm a bit out of it."

"Take your time," he said.

"Yeah…alright, here's what I've observed so far. Life essences and souls are being stored in the silos that have appeared all over the zones. Normally they would be able to escape those kinds of confines, but there's a strange dark substance on the inside that acts as a barrier. It's the same thing that was on top of your arm, Tails."

"I see…"

"I know that they've drained the lands, but I don't understand the conversion process…"

"Do you think it's simultaneous?"

"I hadn't considered it until now. Possibly."

"I haven't been able to observe any of the processes myself," Tails said. He leaned against the wall. "Your observations might be the best thing we have. So the silos are holding life energy…and you can't observe anything in the cyborg civilians, can you?"

"No. Honestly…we only figured out what they were once we got here. By that time, we had smashed up a few."

"Can't really blame you for reacting like that," he said. "Still…we want to find a way to reverse the process."

"We can tap Eggman for answers. He brought you here, right?" Sonic asked.

"Actually…no. I haven't seen him at all, for whatever reason. I just assumed he had to be involved because of Metal Sonic. He really took it to me earlier. But I thought about it for a while after, and…"

"You realized that it didn't add up," Amy finished.

"Because Metal Sonic was rogue the last time we fought him," Sonic said.

"Why would Eggman dredge up old technology like that? That was one of my first thoughts," Tails said.

"We didn't get a good glimpse of him," Amy added, looking to Sonic. "When we saw him, it was back in Casino Night."

"He has a new paint job. A stealthy black one."

"Makes sense. He snuck up on us earlier," Sonic said. Tails gave him a puzzled look.

"Snuck up?"

"Yeah. Amy was the one who sensed him from far enough out." Sonic blinked and looked at Tails. "Oh."

"What?" Amy asked.

"The last time…Metal Sonic was about the same place as me when it came to energy control. I should have been able to feel him from way out, or at least further out than I did."

"Couldn't Eggman have-" She stopped and looked at Sonic. "Uh…wait, wait."

"You're thinking it too," he said.

"I think we're all thinking it," Tails concluded, folding his arms.

"This can't be Eggman. Or…it could, but…"

"What's going on?" Amy asked. "This…none of it is making sense."

"Metal did say something cryptic. I think it's time we asked the good doc what the deal is."

"I know where he's posted. It's a flying fortress, pretty modest for him and all."

"Yeah? Well, we can take the Tornado and give it a good blitz."

"Won't have to."

Sonic and Amy followed the movement of Tails' arm. They looked up to see a massive plane descending onto the building.

"Oi, I thought she wasn't done."

"Ninety percent is good enough for now," Tails replied. "Hey, go ahead and try something."

"Try something?"

"Yeah."

Sonic shrugged and raised a hand towards the aircraft. He smiled and laughed. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"That's hella cool! Man! Alright, everyone grab on." As soon as felt hands on his shoulders, Sonic warped ahead with Chaos Control. The three landed in a spacious area within the vessel.

"I can't believe you actually got it working," Sonic said. "This is some next-gen stuff. Who needs Scotty, eh?"

"So there's an energy point in here that reacts to Chaos Control?" Amy asked.

"One primary and one secondary," Tails said. He walked towards the large windows at the front of the plane and sat in one of the large seats. A digital control panel lit up beneath his fingertips, and on a smaller console next to it was a set of manual controls.

"What is this place?"

"I just decided to make a flying house, I guess. Sonic helped."

"Yeah, it's been a big project of ours." He looked at an electrical panel before closing the door shut. "Tails has it running on nukes, but we can basically run on water if we want."

"Anything that can be used for fuel works. Water, diesel, petroleum, heavy oil, magnetism…it's just that the range falls for each type of fuel. The paint absorbs solar energy, so we use it for some electrical functions. Everyone likes to spout off on how we can just break free of oil with alternative technologies, but translating those to scale isn't the easiest job," Tails said. "For a big bird like this, nuclear power is the best option. We don't ever have to land for refueling."

The interior was wide open and bright, lights illuminating everything inside. For the most part, the floor was flat and there wasn't much in the way of clutter. It felt very livable.

"We've got a kitchen. And a chili dog machine."

"Chili dog machine?"

"Technology is great!" Sonic said from the kitchen. "Although, nothing beats a good home cooked meal," he added with a straight face.

"A chili dog machine," Amy said, incredulous. A loud ding sounded and Sonic removed his meal from the white box on the kitchen counter.

"What a time to be alive," he said with a smile.

Amy shook her head.

* * *

"Okay…countermeasures engaged. Autopilot on. Systems okay. Rerouting power to scanners, checking airspeed. Got it…alright, let's head out."

Tails hopped up from his seat and led Sonic and Amy to the hangar, where the Tornado awaited. Tails jumped into the pilot seat while Amy took the back. Sonic grabbed hold of one of the struts and balanced himself on the wing.

The hangar door slid down quickly, giving a view of the blackened skies.

Tails performed the pre-flight checks and then had the Tornado take off, the hangar door sliding upwards as soon as the plane cleared. They circled around the long fuselage of the giant flying aircraft, Wanderer.

Directly ahead was a much smaller, sleeker plane, painted black and almost invisible in the sky.

"That's Eggman's ride, huh," Sonic called out.

"Yeah. Like I said, not exactly his style. There's enough room to land on top, though."

"Amy? You see anything?"

"It's…strange. It's only him."

"Then I guess we don't need to go in guns blazing," Sonic said. "Let's land and try to get this sorted out."

Tails landed the Tornado on top of the other plane, activating electromagnets to secure it.

"Here we go," Sonic said. He took Tails' hand, and he took Amy's. Sonic jumped from the wings and sped forward along the length of the larger aircraft.

"The door's open!" Amy called out.

He accelerated through the opening and pulled his companions safely inside.

"He must have figured we were coming," Tails said.

"Putting that three hundred IQ to use for once. C'mon," Sonic said warily.

Quickly and cautiously they advanced through the darkened interior to the pilot's room, only twice as big as a normal plane cabin. The ends of a large mustache poked out from behind the pilot's chair.

"Eggman," Sonic said sternly.

"Yes."

He turned in his chair. Streaks of grey on his bushy mustache shone in the dim light. His once rotund form was slimmed. He dressed in black, with loose and finely pressed clothing. He slowly rose from his chair, casting a long shadow on the floor in front of the three heroes.

"It was me. It was me all along, Sonic."

Amy started to open her mouth.

"No."

Sonic shook his head.

"No, I know there's more to this story."

Eggman placed his hands behind his back. The light glanced off of his dark glasses.

"Then...I'll start from the beginning."

* * *

" _Oh no, not me_

 _I never lost control_

 _You're face to face_

 _With the man who sold the world_ _."_


	8. The Phantom Pain

a/n: Overt. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **08\. The Phantom Pain**

* * *

"The scale of my operations decreased some time ago, as you know. It was as simple as that. At one point or another, I was offered a deal by G.U.N and the United Nations. This was shortly before the incident with Metal Sonic. If I worked for them, I would avoid the punishments waiting for me 'when I was caught', they said. I suppose they assumed that I was going to try and walk off into the sunset, and I didn't convince them otherwise. I took their deal, the handsome sum that came along with it, and an office. This was…two years ago, at the most," Eggman said.

"No wonder," Sonic muttered. "So that was the reason for the lull. What'd they have you do?"

"Applications, experiments. Terribly mundane things to do with robotics."

"For you, anyways," Sonic said.

"Naturally."

"You said that it was 'you all along'. What did you mean by that? If you've been working with the military, then how could you end up doing this?" Tails asked.

"No…I know what he means," Amy said. "He means to say...all of this came out of his work. But it wasn't by his hand. The government used the technology you created for their own purposes. Isn't that right, Doctor?"

"The original use was for cyber formation and preservation of material. The mechanics were fairly simple. Land would be cyberformed and coated with a layer of malleable metal. The process involved time-space manipulation in order to change the composition of the land…but it was limited in time and scope. The cyberforming would only last as long as the energy used to fuel it did."

"Chaos Energy for conversion," Tails said.

"Yes, precisely. A slight spatial shift, something temporary in its design. This kind of thing could also be powered by conventional fuels, eventually."

"But something changed."

Eggman gave Sonic a nod. "Many things did. This was meant specifically to be a tool of war. A major advance in total battlefield control, and most importantly an opportunity to eliminate the viability of guerrilla warfare. But they asked for more, and I delivered. I completed a system that used the properties of Chaos Control to remove substance from existence. It targeted life energy…the form of Chaos Control created a dragnet that would contact all sources of life and pull them into a centralized area. Again, for temporary storage."

"And the black barriers?"

"Not my idea."

"It reacts to a very high specific energy," Tails said. "We managed to remove it from my arm earlier. What you said about the dragnet…"

"The energy was to be released into the atmosphere in order to return to the life cycle. And the magnitude of the energy removal could be easily controlled."

"Flash famines," Sonic said. "Resource control. Armies can't eat bullets and they can't drink gas. Combine that with the landscaping there, and you've got yourself a winning strategy. But I'm guessing that these things weren't ever meant to be used at the same time."

"But they were," Amy said. "Doctor…why did you rebuild Metal Sonic?"

"I didn't."

"The hell you didn't," Sonic said. "Who else could have built him?"

"Metal Sonic…the schematics for his designs were handed over to the military as part of my deal. They wanted to have a look at them. I figured that there was no possibility of them being able to reproduce the specifications. And I was right. The most they could manage was a functioning shell a few months ago. Barely any comparison to the original," he said with a scoff.

"So what changed?" Tails asked.

"They sent one of their best agents to retrieve something from the small island where Metal Sonic made his final appearance. A robot named E-123 Omega," he said gruffly. "And he retrieved a miraculously undamaged ROM chip. One of many stashed inside of Metal Sonic's frame."

Amy shook her head. "But that…that means that…"

"Amy? What's wrong?"

"No, you don't understand…that's why I could feel it. That's why I could feel him, why he seemed the same. A phantom…not just an illusion, but for real. The longer he stays here, the longer he continues to exist…"

"Amy, cool it," Sonic said. "It's not-"

"You're wrong! You're wrong, you're not getting it!" she yelled fearfully.

"What made him go rogue in the first place…"

Amy stepped towards Eggman as he spoke. "You understand…"

"It is said that…a lust for revenge can bring the fallen back to life."

"Yes, that's right…souls are volatile. They're unstable. Influenced by so many different things."

"You believe that Metal Sonic had a soul?" he asked her.

"…yes. I do believe it. I felt it, that day…when he almost took everything from me. That amount of hatred can only come from someone who had a soul to store it inside of."

Tails folded his arms. "So…the ROM chip. The permanent data that survived. It was used to try and complete Metal Sonic. And that lingering will took hold…allowing Metal to complete himself. He used the cyberforming to complete his body…to change the planet. The erosion of life. Complete devastation. All of his own mission." He looked at Eggman. "All for revenge."

"…"

"And the more power he gets, the more he becomes complete. No longer becoming just a shade with fragmented memories. But…returning to reality again. Unless you destroy the soul completely, there's nothing that can be done."

"If the world becomes wrapped in darkness, then everything will be lost," Eggman said.

"Is there a way to stop this? To reverse it?" Tails asked.

Eggman paused in thought. "The characteristics of the technology have changed. Whatever was done by Metal Sonic, it improved the potency and the permanence of each stage. In short, they are now working on a simultaneous level as opposed to being two steps of a program. The strength of the current technology will only increase as Metal Sonic continues to exist and upgrade himself."

"And I'm guessing G.U.N is paralyzed," Sonic said.

"The main arms are, but…I know for a fact that there are some who were conspicuously absent when these events began. They will likely be observing from on high," Eggman said.

"That sounds about right. Can't have yourselves getting in danger so soon, yeah?"

"A touch cynical today."

"I get like that sometimes," Sonic replied sarcastically. "So what's your brilliant plan, Doc?"

"Disrupting the activation of Chaos Control in each of the silos. That…may be the actual form of the black barriers you encountered earlier."

"It didn't seem like it…it seemed a lot more sinister. And souls, too…maybe it's that also," Amy said.

"What is?"

"The negative…yin. The power of Chaos has a light and dark half. The light half gives energy, and the dark half form. That might explain the darkness…the manipulation of form to entrap souls."

"Hm. I must say, it's refreshing to see that there are matters even beyond my intellect," Eggman said.

"That's an interesting thought," Amy said with a smile.

"Guess we're teaming up," Sonic said. "Can you do your thing here, Eggman?"

"No. I do not have the necessary equipment here."

"The most advanced facility on the mainland, is…er…" Tails scratched his head as he thought. "But those are probably no good. And to be honest, I'm not sure if Wanderer has what you need."

"What about ARK?" Sonic asked.

"Rudimentary for our times…"

"But it'll do," Sonic finished.

"I can only give you a real estimate once I start my research. But based on the original plans…I will need a week at the least."

"You gotta be kidding me. A week?"

"This isn't exactly a walk in the park," Tails reminded Sonic. "And a week is pretty darn good. I could maybe speed it up a little by helping, but I've got a feeling that you'll need some technical help down here on Earth."

"Fine. What do you think, Amy?"

"I think this is good, Sonic. Good luck, Doctor. And…thank you."

"For what, pray tell?"

"I think you know the answer to that. Please be safe," she said with a smile. Eggman gave her a curious look.

"We'll have to take care of bolt-brain again, too. Probably armed with a whole bunch of freaky crap…"

"We've done it before. Eggman, I think you have the recording of the specific instance of energy needed. It's six tails," Tails said.

"At the peak?"

"Yeah, just about there."

Eggman nodded. "Understood. I have one functioning launch site remaining. I will use that to ascend to ARK."

"Alright. Like Amy said, take care of yourself, Doctor."

"You do the same."

"We'll try," Sonic said. "Catch you on the flip side. Transmission code's the same as earlier."

"Alright."

Amy and Tails placed their hands on his shoulders, and Sonic focused before warping out of the plane and back into the Wanderer. The Tornado released its electromagnets and flew on autopilot back to its mother ship.

She started to walk away before he called out.

"Amy."

"Yes?"

"Do you remember?"

"No…I forgot. I forgot a long time ago," she said, turning to him. "That's why…I've been so afraid to face the dark lately. That's why…I…"

"When the time comes, just give me your hand. I'll always be with you. I promised, Amy."

"I know, and I-"

"It's not your fault. You're allowed to be scared. You're allowed to cry. He was right."

"Sonic…"

"I can't protect you."

She hung her head.

"But…when the time comes…I will save you. Not just because you're my wife."

She raised her head, staring into his eyes.

"More than that. You're my home on Earth. The most precious person that I've ever known."

The airship punched through the black clouds. The light filtered past them through the windows as they stared at each other.

"I will be a place that you can always come home to," she said. "I promised on this soul of mine."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling.

"You always have been, Amy Rose. Thank you."

She placed her hand on top of his and nodded.

"Together, Sonic. Let's bring light back to the world. Just as we decided that day," she said, her eyes glowing bright.

"Yeah. We will."

The aircraft descended below the black clouds once more, into the ever growing darkness.


	9. Ground Zeroes

a/n: Up to something. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **09\. Ground Zeroes**

* * *

"Alright...since Eggman is heading to ARK, what's the battle plan?"

Tails locked in his coordinates and spun his chair around to face Sonic. "We'll head over to Angel Island. It's still in the water."

"Think Red's okay?"

"I hope so. But he's tough."

"We're close. I can feel the life on the island," Amy said as she looked through the front windows. "And Knuckles, too. He's certainly upset, but fine all the same."

"Good ol' Knux. Built to last," Sonic said with a smile. "I think I can hit the shrine from here."

"I'm gonna put us in standby up top. We'll probably need to explain this to him together."

"Yeah, probably. Alright, we'll go down together."

Tails had the Wanderer idle high over the island, and Sonic warped the group down towards the Emerald Shrine. They walked up the steps to see Knuckles standing alone, in front of where the Master Emerald should have been.

"Kept you waiting, huh?" Sonic said with a grin. Knuckles shook his head and turned around.

"You're always goofing off at the worst times."

"Oh...is that...?"

"What?"

"It's that old hat from way back when. With, uh...Sara! Yeah, that was it! I guess you're looking forward to some adventure, huh?"

"N-nothing like that," Knuckles said gruffly. "I just felt like wearing it this week. That's all. What took you jokers so long anyways?" he asked as he adjusted the wide-brimmed fedora. "The whole planet's getting swallowed up by this darkness. I think the only reason I didn't get hit out here was because the island was moving."

"The Master Emerald was shattered," Amy concluded.

"Yeah. That freak Metal Sonic did it...although, I was sure that you guys turned him into scrap years ago," Knuckles said. "I managed to damage him a bit..."

"It's been repaired."

"Eh?"

Tails nodded. "Yeah. Metal Sonic is the reason for all this. The cyberforming of the planet and everything besides. I guess he figured that with the Master Emerald out of the way, the power of Chaos could be used without any obstruction."

"Truth be told, I was content letting him smash the Master Emerald apart since that would mean that neither he or Eggman would get their hands on it. But now...I guess that I was wrong about that."

"Eggman's up on ARK," Sonic said.

"Well, what are we waiting for?"

"Red, he's on our side."

Knuckles took a battle stance.

"I knew this would happen," Sonic said with a sigh. Amy walked up to Knuckles.

"Stay back! I bet you're one of those freaky robot clones..."

She grabbed his nose and squeezed.

"Owowowowowow-"

"Oi. Shut up and pay attention, knucklehead."

"Okayokayokayjustleggo." She did so and he rubbed his sore nose. "Sheesh. You're worse than ever, woman."

"You're awful at listening. Now, we're all our real _actual_ selves here, I assure you. Eggman is not responsible for this. Metal Sonic is."

"Apparently, a phantom from the past," Sonic said. "And he'll only get stronger the longer we let this go on."

"You think the Master Emerald will help?" Knuckles asked.

"I've got no doubts. Especially since it can negate the powers of the Chaos Emeralds."

"How many Emeralds do you have?"

Sonic thought for a moment. "I left two in a Special Zone."

"Which one?"

"That's the problem. I'm really sure I can't tap the Special Zone in Spring Yard where I left it. There's no doubt that South Island got glassed in the midst of this, too."

"Wait, don't the Special Zones work differently there? You shouldn't need a physical medium," Knuckles said. "I know you're thinking that the changes to the land might be a problem, but from what you told me the openings to those zones are generated from external energy."

"You think so?" Sonic asked.

"I know a little about these things," Knuckles said smugly. "You should head over and get those two Chaos Emeralds. They'll be a big help."

"Sure, that sounds like a plan."

"I'll come with you. We might be able to detect some of the Emerald Shards," Knuckles said as he looked to Tails.

"Right. I've got the radar with a few neat upgrades. It'll be cake."

"Next stop's South Island, then. I'm not gonna like what I see," Sonic muttered. Amy rubbed his back gently.

"We'll make things right. Right?"

"Right. Just can't believe Metal Sonic actually came back from...I guess the dead. And did all of this." He looked at Amy. "We..."

"Yes. I know, Sonic."

"You can't be okay with that."

Amy looked into the distance. "You would think so, wouldn't you? But...I never fancied myself a pacifist. I don't think I could be, you know? More than breaking down when I think about it...I realize that if I had to, I would do it again. As many times as it took." She looked back to Sonic. "Do you think I'm sick for that?"

"...no. Because I feel the same."

"And the ones that we can save...what about them?"

"We'll have to decide when our backs are against the wall," he said.

"That's a bad place to make decisions from."

"It'll be the only place if this keeps up. I don't think Eggman is gonna make it in time to prevent the worst from happening."

"..."

"Let's make tracks to South Island. We'll need those Emeralds."

"You're right. Let's go."

"How do we get up?" Knuckles asked, looking at the airship hovering above the island.

"Just make sure you got a hand on me and I'll do the rest," Sonic said. "Here we go."

* * *

"Ugh, this place is a mess. Everything's just gone loopy all of a sudden..."

Shadow ignored the complaints of his partner as he scanned Central City. No signs of life anywhere...but those troublesome robots had appeared, and were somehow growing in number.

Instinct told him to smash every mechanical thing in the area, but reason said that they had to be the civilians caught in the sudden terrain change.

He stood on a roof top with three of his compatriots, looking over the transformed city. Nothing but black metal, with recently formed lines of light running through them. They moved in one direction along strange paths, towards the mysterious black spire that had formed out of one of the taller buildings. On top of it was a strange metal silo, seven feet high.

Shadow touched one of the Inhibitor Rings on his wrists, then pulled his fingers away. As easy a solution as it would be, it wouldn't really help. He pulled his red and white gloves over them to dissuade further temptation. Rouge sat beside him, dangling her legs over the roof's edge.

"It was supposed to be my day off," she groaned. "You know how hard it is to get days off with these idiots running around?" She clicked her teeth as she noted a small tear in her leggings, but shrugged and zipped up her somewhat practical boots, the ones with the blocky heels that seemed to be made of more material than they actually were. The leggings reached up to denim shorts, and those up to a chest-hugging top, and then a black cropped jacket that Amy bought for her as a wedding thank you gift. It had the glittery pink heart on the back that made Rouge decide she wasn't going to wear it outside.

Omega looked like Omega usually did. He was fine with this, Eggman-murdering tendencies and all.

Brooding in the robot's shadow was the girl they called the 'probie' at G.U.N, though her rank said otherwise. Her golden eyes pierced the darkness as she looked to the black sky.

"Sense anything?" Shadow asked her.

"Sir. Nothing at the moment, Major. Sir," she said crisply.

"Alright."

"So, what do you think? Should we wait for Sonic?" Rouge asked.

"Hmph. He's already taking his time."

"Just call him already. You have the transmission code," she said.

"..."

"..." Rouge sighed and pulled out her phone. She tapped the screen and punched in four numbers. 1-9-9-1.

The connection was established in a few seconds.

"Heyo, what's shaking? Glad to hear from ya, Rougie!"

"You and your big mouth," she said with a genuine smile. "I was just checking in on you too, hon. The wife with you?"

"Yeah, they trashed our pad."

"Really? Damn, I thought I had it rough."

"No kiddin'. Rosie-o is doing okay, though. Squad with you?"

"Mm-hm. Sunshine, 'Megs, and 'Riko," she said.

"Fab Four. I like it. We're heading over to South Island to pick up some Chaos Emeralds. Got the wife, lil' bro, and Rad Red with me. Some nasty stuff is going on...I think we should all have a meet up so we can explain better. Doesn't work as well over the phone."

"I hear ya. We're in Central City. Place got smoked."

"Yeah, just like everywhere else. West Side Island got smoked, too. Hey, Eggman's up at ARK right now, so you know."

"ARK? Seriously?" she said with surprise.

"Yeah. Listen, I meant it when I said that we need to do this in person. Are you guys on the move?"

Rouge looked to Shadow, who shook his head.

"Nah. We'll be here a while."

"Okay. We're gonna fly the big bird down to the beach. I'm sure Shads will know when we've made it."

The black hedgehog grunted at the nickname.

"He can't wait."

"Absence does make the heart grow fonder. Anyways, stay safe 'till we make it over."

"Yeah. You take care too, hon. Nothing reckless."

A laugh. "Me? Never."

Rouge smiled as the call ended.

"So they'll be here in a couple of hours."

"Mm-hm." Rouge gave Shadow a quizzical look. "Are you _still_ salty about that last time?"

"Salty...? What does that..." He paused before his brow furrowed in anger. "Don't be absurd. It was a simple sparring match and he caught me off guard."

"It's been six months."

"Can it, bat girl."

She raised her hands and let the conversation end.

"Hostiles detected," Omega rumbled. The girl with the golden eyes placed a hand on the katana at her side.

"Figures. Let's find another observation point," Shadow said. The group got ready to move.

"You're totally jealous," Rouge said under her breath.

Shadow grumbled but said nothing more as he warped the group away.


	10. Active Radar

Here's hoping. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **10\. Active Radar**

* * *

"Psst. Amy."

"Hm?"

Sonic beckoned her towards the co-pilot's seat. Behind them was Knuckles, snoring away as the airship made its way towards South Island.

"What's up? Miss me already?" she asked with a smile. She took a seat on the arm rest.

"Always, Ames. But seriously...we need to talk about...you know."

"Mm?"

Sonic tilted his head towards where Knuckles sat. Amy raised a brow in response.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"You saw how he was acting when I was on the phone with Rouge."

"Ah, yeah. He was...a bit perturbed, if I had to say."

"Listen, we need to make sure things go right this time. I wouldn't mind him going full on Dorkus Malorkus on any other day, it wouldn't be my problem. But when Red gets distracted, he gets _distracted_. You catch my drift?" Sonic asked.

Amy frowned. "You know that Knuckles-"

"I ain't talking about 'urges', he knows better. I'm talking about their back and forth crap."

"Sonic."

"You know it's true."

"You make it sound bad."

"It is! What the hell else is it? He's a stubborn ass."

"It's true," Tails chimed in.

"You, quiet," Amy said sternly. Tails waved her off with an eye roll and returned his gaze to the sky.

"Even Tails thinks so. He's still damn salty about her and Shadow. I don't even know why, they're not a thing."

"They're close enough," Amy pointed out.

"Besides the point."

"So we need to keep them separated?"

"We need to keep them from getting into their feelings. Like I said, any other day, it would be prime time entertainment."

"Sonic."

"Where's the lie, woman?"

"Get to the point," she said with a sigh.

"I don't want anyone getting hurt," he said seriously. "Not just hearts, I'm talking bodies. We need to trust each other, or we're...let's just say it flat out. If we're a bunch of dysfunctional brats out there, we are royally fucked."

"I get it," Amy said.

"I don't like getting all 'team leader' here. That's Shadow's angle. But you guys are my comrades. And you," he said while taking one of her hands, "are even more than that to me. So we need to be safe. Other than the reckless things we'll end up doing eventually."

"So you're gonna take this seriously."

"As much as possible."

"That's a no, then."

"He was right. You are impossible sometimes." Amy smiled and playfully hit Sonic on the arm. "Anyways, sorry to bother you. Just wanted to have a lil' huddle is all."

"We need to be on the same page. You made the right call. Right, Tails?"

"Right."

"Heh. Well...the team they got is Shads, Rouge, Omega, and 'Riko."

"She's with them?"

"Yeah. Shadow's taken a shine to her and she's a strong kid to boot. It's all good."

"She'll be really happy to see you again."

"I'll bet. She's come a long way since that time..." He looked up at her again. "How's everything?"

"It's fine. I don't...mm." She brushed back some of her hair. "It's hard to describe. But I feel like I know how I should move now. With this whole thing. You know?"

"Sorta. But it's your world, Aimers. Do what you gotta, and I'll support it."

"Even if the whole world comes crashing down on us?" she asked, gazing into his eyes.

He smirked. "The whole damn universe."

"You're one hell of a husband, Sonic. Remember that," she said with a warm smile.

"I'll try."

She stood up and walked to the back of the plane. Sonic looked out at the sky, watching as the darkness spread from place to place over the ocean waters.

Somehow, this adventure seemed a bit more sinister than the rest.

"Souls, huh."

He looked down at one of his hands before clenching it into a fist.

"Blood and thunder," he said with a small, grim smile.

* * *

"This one'll be simple enough. I think Amy and I should head in and grab the stones, then just pop right back out. Shouldn't be long."

The group stood at the edge of the first section of Spring Yard. The only notable changes to the area were the pitch black skies and black metal covering everything. But the darkness was something in the background, nothing immediately atmospheric. The world seemed to have remained in place as the darkness silhouetted it.

"This just...feels wrong," Tails muttered.

"More so than usual," Amy said in agreement. "I don't wanna stay here too long."

"Yeah, same. Alright, let's get it started." Sonic focused and pointed forward. In the next moment, a giant golden ring phased into existence, rotating slowly.

"You were bang on, Red. It worked."

"Glad I could help," Knuckles said with a tilt of his hat.

"Ready, Amy?"

"Yeah. Never been in one of these before."

"At most, you'll have a bit of vertigo. Here we go."

"Good luck," Knuckles said. The two jumped into the ring and it disappeared. "No Emerald shards here."

"Yeah. Zilch."

"So what's this about teaming up with Eggman? Sounds ridiculous."

Tails shrugged. "He made a deal with the military, they got greedy, and here we are. Eggman's not at fault and he's working to try and reverse the problem."

Knuckles tapped a foot on the metal below. "You think he's really changed?"

"Yeah. I mean...it's pretty obvious."

"We've been tricked before."

"You have, you mean."

"Besides the point. He could have something up his sleeve."

"I'm no idealist, Knuckles."

"...right. Sometimes I keep forgetting you're not a kid anymore."

Another shrug. "It's fine."

"You don't get tired of it? Being the little brother all the time?"

"I've wanted a family for a long time, Knuckles. Now besides a big brother, I've got a big sister that looks after me too. Whether I'm a man or not, family really means something to me."

"I figured."

"Neither of them coddle me, honestly. It's refreshing. Sonic and I are really equals...we have been for a while now, but I didn't realize it. He just let it happen naturally. Amy, too. We just got closer with time."

Knuckles adjusted his hat. "Speaking of her."

"Yeah?"

"If what she said about phantoms is true, then...that would make her a killer, yeah? Is Sonic okay with that?"

Tails folded his arms and looked into the darkness. His head turned towards Knuckles.

"More than that. He embraces that part of her."

"Embraces it? You know what that sounds like, right?"

"Sometimes we have to chill our blood to get by. Those two have been through a lot. He'll kill to save her, and she'll kill to save him. It's all the same. I guess you think it's not exactly heroic."

"It's not."

"We're not exactly heroes anymore, anyways. Metal Sonic...his phantom influenced us all, in the end. We still feel those pains, even now."

"Sounds cheerful."

"Heh. To be perfectly honest...now that I can see the world and myself for what they are, I've been a lot happier."

"Do you still fight for the greater good?"

"No such thing."

"So what do you fight for?"

Tails unfolded his arms and looked down at his hands. He closed his blue eyes, then opened them quickly again.

"The right to build my own future. A future where my good...our good...will be realized and understood."

Knuckles pulled the brim of his fedora down, shadowing his eyes. "Sounds like a pipe dream."

"..."

"Tails...I almost wish I had that kind of courage."

"Do you?"

"Yeah. Almost."


	11. Vapour Trails

a/n: From time to time, it happens.

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky  
**

 **11\. Vapour Trails  
**

* * *

"Got 'em."

The two hedgehogs popped out of the portal to the Special Zone, landing on the ground softly. Sonic held out his hand, two Chaos Emeralds in binary orbit around it.

"Wasn't too hard," Amy said. "Weird place, though. No control over your own gravity."

"Tedious after the first few times. But uncomplicated. S'why I stashed 'em here."

"We ready to go?" Knuckles asked.

"Yeah. Any luck on the shards?"

"Nothing."

"Alright, we'll head out," Sonic said. "Tails?"

"Nothing to report. Central City, next stop. It's a ways a way, so maybe you could catch a nap."

"Sounds good," Sonic said with a nod. "Okay, on me. Let's get out of here…"

Everyone placed a hand on Sonic. In the next instant, they were back in the middle of the airship.

"You guys got a training room or something?" Knuckles asked.

"Head towards the back and take a left," Tails called out from the pilot's chair.

"Thanks. I'll see you guys when we're in the city."

"Yeah. Tails, you gonna be good up there?" Sonic asked.

"Sure am. I'll be fine, you get some rest."

"I'll make you something warm to drink," Amy said. "Sonic, you go ahead. I'll be around to bother you in a few minutes."

"Yeah, alright." He waved and took a right to where the sleeping quarters were. Amy found herself a jar of instant coffee from one of the cupboards and boiled water in a pot over the stove. She hummed to herself as the water boiled and grabbed a cloth, wetting it under the tap. Steam started to rise as she wiped down the kitchen area, noting that the absurd chili dog machine from earlier was well stocked and taken care of. The chrome on it was impeccably shiny.

Well, it figured.

She shook her head. It was an impressive thing, but still absurd. All of the material save for the bun was made inside of a self-contained apparatus. But then, she could see that there was a bun maker beside it on the counter. Briefly, she wondered how much brainstorming went into the whole thing.

The water was boiling and she broke away from her thoughts to drop a spoonful of coffee into a large mug. She gently stirred the boiling water in from the pot, then two tablespoons of sugar, then enough milk to make the coffee hit the edge of the mug expertly. The liquid was still swirling as she picked up the mug and brought it to the front of the plane.

"Here you go."

"You didn't have to, Amy. But thanks, I appreciate it," Tails said as he took the mug. He set it into a cup holder beside the control panel. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. What about you?"

"Can't really complain. Just trying to stay focused, like you and Sonic were talking about earlier."

"Right…well, we're not too worried about you," she said as she leaned against the tall chair. "Everything else looks like it's under control. We just don't want any fireworks, not right now."

"I hear you. I haven't been around much, so…how's married life been? Sonic hasn't been too much trouble, has he?"

"He's still got his habits. But I don't mind. I mean…I was thinking that it would be way more stressful, you know? Worried about compatibility and all that. So I guess we took a more unconventional approach. If he has to go somewhere or do something, I just let him go. And I trust him with that. I do know how popular he is, and the places he runs out to…but it's not hard to let all of that go. I think it's because I'm more in tune with who I am. He taught me how to do all that in the first place."

"I think he told me. You know, he would talk about you sometimes. Like, really talk."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. It was all good stuff, actually. It got to a point where even if he didn't know it, he really was falling for you. But then, you were really changing, too, from what I could see."

"We kinda…I guess, started understanding each other a lot more. Merging in our ideals, you know?" Amy said.

"I can see it. You guys are good together. I don't think any of us saw this happening."

"Truth be told, me either. I kinda thought it was hopeless."

"So why keep trying?"

She shrugged. "It wasn't boredom, just…well, I guess that was how I was used to showing my support. Obviously, there was a small spark of hope in the back of my mind, but I wasn't expecting much. And even then, I thought marriage was gonna be way different. He treats the whole thing with respect. Being married, I mean. He's really a good husband. But he doesn't do things like you'd normally expect. It's hard to explain, you know?"

"So you still haven't adjusted to everything, I guess," Tails said before taking a sip of coffee.

"Yeah. I guess that's the best way to put it. It's…not what I was expecting at all. And I like it. I like it a whole lot." She looked out through the front windows and smiled. "I find it hard to fight with him. Or actually be upset with him for any reason. We just live peacefully, do our own thing. I guess I'll hit him once or twice for a bad pun or something, but…it's like…he only looks at me. And he only sees me. And when we communicate, it's so clear and everything makes sense. I understand him, even if I don't really agree with it. I wake up every morning feeling great."

"From here, it kind of sounds like you're living the dream."

"I think I am."

"So if I'm a realist, I'm asking what the catch is," Tails said.

"The catch…" She thought for a moment.

"Isn't there something? A negative you can take away from all of this?"

"Yeah. I think there's one thing."

"What is it?"

"Honestly? I wish he'd…let me be the wife more."

"Eh?"

"I think that's the only thing. I get it, you know? He doesn't want to be all traditional and stuff-"

"No, no," Tails said, interrupting her. "I meant a negative, like in your relationship or something. Doesn't he do anything to bother you?"

"That? No, there's nothing like that," she said confidently. "He might take the last slice of pizza when I wanted it, or drink milk from the carton, or order the extra spicy chili for dinner, but actual things to be upset about? No, none. It's been like that for the longest time."

"No fights?"

"No, no. We can barely find anything to fight about. He cleans up after himself, leaves me to take care of the house how I want…I dunno. I can't think of anything. And it's already been a year and a bit now, so…"

"The way you talk about it, it sounds like you two were just made for each other," Tails said with a chuckle.

"You never know. Maybe it was this way from the start, and it just took time. I can believe just about anything right now."

"The perfect husband. Huh. It just didn't sound possible."

"…maybe he was right in a way. You know, about marriage being just a formality. That's what he said when we were crossing into Metropolis earlier," Amy said. "We've been so connected for years that getting hitched was just icing. I didn't think it was possible, either. But…when we thought about it, and just let go of what we saw in the world…it got a whole lot easier. When we talk, we don't talk past each other. It's on a certain wavelength. Sometimes it takes a bit to find it, so you gotta listen a bit. And when it resonates, you know. You just know. I think that's the secret, Tails."

"I might have to try that. One day, anyways."

"Nobody you're thinking of?" she asked, teasingly.

"Nobody right now. I know who you're going to bring up, and the answer's still no."

"Because you think she can do better."

"Yeah."

Amy reached down and rustled the fur on Tails' head. "As if. You're the kid brother of Sonic _the_ Hedgehog and Amy Rose. I don't think it gets better than that."

He blushed and took another sip of coffee. She gave him a pat on the head.

"You'll be okay, Tails. I know it."

"Thanks. And you guys…well, whatever you're doing, keep doing it. He's happy. He talks about you, you know?"

"Good things?"

"The best things," Tails said, looking up with a smile. Amy nodded and smiled back, leaving him with his coffee. He set it down in the holder again and tapped buttons on the console to adjust the plane's flight path.

* * *

"Hey."

"Yo."

Sonic waved Amy into the modestly sized room. The door slid closed behind her. Everything was plain, with stark white walls and a large window showing the passing blue skies. There was a table in the corner, across from the bed that Sonic was sitting on. He held up book in front of his face.

"What'cha reading?"

"Ah, some book on conspiracy theories. I'm on the chapter where this guy is claiming there was some kinda alternate contingency plan for Project Shadow," Sonic said. "I woulda dismissed it as crap but this whole Metal Sonic thing is making me wonder."

"They really tried to make their own copy," Amy said as she sat beside him.

"Yeah."

She pressed her back against the wall and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I really can't believe it."

"Me either," he said.

"You probably think I'm crazy. After the whole thing on Eggman's plane."

"A little."

"Do you hate it?"

"Nah. It's fine."

"I bet you're just saying that."

"Yeah, I am."

"Jerk." She smiled and closed her eyes. Sonic turned a page as his wife slowly fell asleep.

* * *

"Bright and early as always."

"Yeah."

Most of the bandages had been removed already. He still had the cuts and bruises, but those were healing quickly. His bed was raised to an angle where he was practically sitting up. He snored away as May grabbed her jacket and Amy placed a fresh bouquet of flowers in the vase beside his bed.

"Gonna have myself a smoke. It's a slow day today from what I can see."

"I'll be here."

"Yeah. If Eurotrash, M.D. comes around, tell her I'll be back in a while."

"Right."

May gave her a thumbs up before leaving the room. Amy busied herself with adjusting Sonic's pillows and sheets as he slept under the influence of sedatives.

"I got these for you."

Amy reached into her shopping bag and pulled out several rolled up packages of foil.

"Philly cheesesteak, loaded with chili…a couple of chili dogs with extra bacon…and a gallon of orange soda. That should hold you for a while," she said with a weary smile. "I can go out for lunch if you need it." She set the food on a nearby table and went to the corner to grab a broom.

A thin layer of dirt was pushed forward by her broom as she swept the floor. She stopped for a moment, blinking with exhaustion. Grabbed the dustpan and pushed the dirt into it, then tipped the pan forward into the nearby trash bin. After that she looked at the flowers again and arranged them neatly. Opened the windows to allow some air in and pushed back the curtains to illuminate the room. Small particles of dust descended towards the floor through beams of light.

Amy looked down at Sonic, her fur sticking up and quills displaced. The usual brightness that came from her was turned down, dim and making the shadow she cast across the bed more potent.

"I love you. Even if you don't feel the same way. I know you care," she said. A long pause. "I know you don't hate me. I'm not just another face for you to rescue. You see me for me. I like that. I always have."

She went quiet again, casting her gaze towards the window.

She heard him stir finally, a groan coming from his mouth as he held a hand to his head.

"Good morning," she said, giving him a smile. "How are you feeling today?"

"Same as ever. Not great, but thankful for life," he rumbled. "You?"

"Tired as hell. But Rouge is good to me with these shifts. I managed to start saving some money."

"That's good." He looked at her through one drowsy eye. "Amy."

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to."

"I know. But this is what I want. Coming here day after day made me realize something. I sometimes didn't want to get up and out of bed after only two or three hours of sleep. I was scared of how I would feel, and sometimes of what I would find. It's been hard taking care of you. And you keep saying that it's enough. I know that. I can't say that I'm really equipped to handle any of this. But I keep coming back."

"How come?"

"Because…I really do love you. And at the end of each day, when I can finally lay my head down and catch a nap or something…I dunno. I feel good. I might even feel great sometimes. Besides feeling like I'm about to collapse…I feel all of that. You know. It's pretty crazy. You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"A little." He felt his vision clearing.

"Sorry, then. I know…I'm a little obsessive, sometimes."

"You are."

"I just…I said it already. I love you more than anything."

"You think I'm an idiot."

"Huh?"

"Eggman."

"…a little. You did something really reckless. You're a reckless idiot."

"Yeah."

She sighed.

"Amy."

"Yeah?"

"I'm gonna teach you how to be fast. That's okay, right?"

"You mean make me faster?" she asked, looking at him. He shook his head, looking straight at the wooden door. Blocks of light were painted across it by the sun's rays.

"I'm gonna teach you how to be fast," he repeated.

She blinked, not exactly understanding. But she knew she wanted to.

"I know now. How you can keep up with me. Time lying down in this bed forced me to do a lot of thinking. I can articulate that essence now."

"Can you?" she asked, genuinely curious.

"Yes." He looked at her face, kissed by the sun. "I want you to be the first one to know."

"Why?"

"Because you love me the best. And then the most," he said plainly.

She blushed openly. "Do you love me?"

"Depends what you mean."

"Letting me have your babies."

"No. It's not that far along."

"But it's somewhere."

"Yeah." He smirked. "I lied. You're not just a little crazy. You're a whole bag of crazy. You're not having my babies."

"I figured I'd try. Hungry? I got a cheesesteak for you, down at that bodega. You know the one across from the club?"

"Yeah? Thanks. When Mary Jane gets back, you can take a nap," he said as she handed him the sandwich. "Please and thanks."

"…alright."

Amy sat down in the soft chair that she had become accustomed to. The light filtered past her and her eyes closed.

"She would want kids…" His small murmur went unheard as he unwrapped the foil.

"You're awake."

"No kiddin'," he said to May as she entered. "Where's Eva?"

"Not in yet."

"Figures. Just make sure I don't die before she gets here, yeah?"

"Prick."

He snorted and bit into his sandwich as May checked his IV. Amy quietly slept.


	12. Focal Point

a/n: Slow rolls and cameos. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky  
**

 **12\. Focal Point, Act 1  
**

* * *

The deep blue ocean clashed against the pitch black waters extending from the city. An invisible barrier kept them at odds, vying for supremacy but never mixing. Lightning bolts struck the open ocean as the darkness continued to slowly expand. The massive plane called Wanderer flew above the waters quietly, nuclear engines fueling turbines that could power the craft indefinitely. Its long wings allowed it to glide through the skies using as little power as possible.

A secondary set of turbines kicked in from the underside of the aircraft, allowing it to slow down and hover high above the beach outside of Central City. The sand was coarse and metallic, coloured black like everything else surrounding it. An eerie shine came from the transformed area where the sand met the sea.

Shadow saw the white circle of light appear on the ground and raised an eyebrow as four bodies filtered down into it.

"And that's how you make an entrance."

The black hedgehog grunted and said nothing.

"Tough crowd. Thought you missed me, Shads."

"That sounds like a delusion of yours."

"I know, buddy. I was dyin' to see you too. But I'm married now, so-"

"Don't."

Sonic raised his hands. "Like I said, tough crowd. Rougie, baby!"

"Darling, it's been a while." She pecked him gently on the cheek. "How's it been?"

"Like I said, rough. Metal Sonic's got a real big jump on us, so we need to make moves."

"Couldn't agree more. But let's start from the top, yeah? You said we needed to do this in person, after all."

"I need everyone's ears for this one," Sonic said.

"It's pretty serious for once," Tails chimed in. "A lot is happening right now."

"I'll bet," Shadow said.

"Long time no see, Tailsie. Doing alright?" Rouge asked.

"Sure am. It's nice to see you again, Rouge."

"Same here. I see you've been working on something special," she said as she pointed up towards the large aircraft.

"Yep. Sonic and I were working on it as a little pet project."

"Hell of a pet," she said with admiration.

"Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy Rose. My apologies for being unable to attend your wedding ceremony," Omega said in his familiar tone. "I was engaged in business, destroying-"

"Worthless consumer models," everyone present said at once.

"That is correct. I have obtained a gift in order to appease you both."

"A present, eh? Well, save it for later, champ. We appreciate it," Sonic said.

"Yes, thank you so much, Omega. I'm looking forward to it," Amy said warmly.

"Understood. Rouge has informed me that our target is not Doctor Eggman. It has changed to Metal Sonic. My database recorded the destruction of Metal Sonic several years prior. However, he has somehow managed to access a new mainframe and shell. Danger quotient has risen to two hundred twenty percent. Holding steady."

"It's his lust for revenge," Amy said.

"Lust for revenge. Understood. My desire once was the annihilation of my creator. Now thanks to my comrades Rouge and Shadow, I can satisfy myself with more esoteric pursuits."

"We got him into painting," Rouge said with a chuckle. "He's pretty good."

"You two wallflowers gonna join us?" Sonic said, looking from one side to another. Knuckles tilted his hat and moved closer to the group.

The last member of the group carried a serious, focused look. Black sand crunched underneath her sneakers, topped with blue leg warmers.

"You look like you're gonna pop a vein, kiddo. Take it easy, we're just gonna kick around ideas. Got it?" Rouge said with a smile.

"At ease, lieutenant," Shadow said. "You're among allies...some of them sillier than others, but allies all the same."

"Sir. Yes, understood..."

She sighed and gave her friends a smile at last. A near mirror of the blue hedgehog, her quills extended backwards smoothly before becoming loose and sporadically jagged midway, like lightning bolts. A few quills gathered in a bunch and poked forward over her left eye, casting a small shadow over it. Her fur was a pure light blue, bright like tropical ocean waters.

The name "Hoshikira" was visible on the nameplate attached to her short-sleeved black blouse, above the various badges also bonded to it. A katana in a black sheath was attached to her right side.

"It's good to see everyone again...um...I'm sorry, I haven't met you, sir," she said in her soft tone as she looked at the red echidna.

"The name's Knuckles," he gruffly replied.

"Knuckles...ah, that's right. Captain was telling me about you. To do all of that, with no formal training. Truly an inspiration," she said.

Knuckles smirked and adjusted his hat. "Well. Not everyone can be the guardian of the Master Emerald."

"I agree...your fortitude is nothing short of outstanding. As expected of one of Captain's friends." She bowed at the waist in her white skirt and Knuckles awkwardly returned it. Her golden eyes lit up as she started to speak again. "My name is Kiriko Hoshikira, First Lieutenant and member of the G.U.N Special Operations Unit, Neutron Star. Unofficially, we remain as Team Dark. It's a pleasure making your acquaintance, Mister Knuckles, guardian of the Master Emerald."

"Likewise."

"Didn't Shads tell you to take it easy, 'Riko? That intro was a mouthful."

"Captain-"

"And you don't need to call me that anymore. That was just a short stint, remember?" Sonic said. He placed a hand gently on her shoulder. "But I'm glad to see you, I mean it. How's it been?"

"Major Shadow and Captain Rouge have been very good to me," she said energetically. "And Captain Omega as well. He's very nice, especially for a robot!"

"Yeah, 'Megs sure has a heart of gold."

"I...um, I really did miss you, Cap...I mean, Sonic. A-and of course, Miss Amy, too."

"What'd he tell you, sweetie? No need for formalities here, either."

"Right. I'm sorry, it's just a...force of habit. You both look really happy. I'm glad to see it," Kiriko said with a smile. "And Miles, I haven't seen you in a while either."

"I'm always busy with something," he said, grinning. "Nice to see you again, Kiriko."

"Yes, likewise. Now, I think we should get down to business. Major Shadow doesn't like to be kept waiting, I think," Kiriko said timidly, placing a palm on the hilt of her katana.

"She's got a point," Sonic said.

"Of course she does. Now, out with it. Time isn't standing still for us here," Shadow said firmly.

"Oi, we ain't exactly ready to mount any kind of offensive, so simmer down," Sonic countered.

"This isn't a game."

"I ain't dickin' around either," Sonic growled. "Let's cool our heads and get on the same page, groucho."

"He's right, Sunshine. Let's listen first, then we ask questions," Rouge suggested.

Shadow folded his arms and glared at Sonic.

"Hey, like I said...I'm married. Might as well stop making googly eyes at me."

Amy hit him on the arm. "Tails, go ahead. Let the lover boys cool off."

"I'm guessing you guys know about the tech that Eggman developed over the past few years," he started.

"We're privy to it," Shadow answered. "Terrain changing and total battlefield control. I understand the mechanics clearly."

"There's a new kink. The silos contain some variant of Chaos Control developed by Metal Sonic. Amy ID'd it as a black barrier on the inside layer."

"So that was it, then."

"Yeah. Metal Sonic as you know is back. Omega unwittingly brought him close to some kind of major power source after retrieving the ROM chip. A part of him was lingering inside of that chip...remnants of the soul he developed."

"Soul?" Rouge asked.

"Yes. Amy?"

"We spoke with Eggman and he gave us the details. Basically...enough of a lust for revenge can bring people back from the land of the dead. A strong, pulsing emotion like that...and hatred as well."

"How can you be certain that he had a soul?" Shadow asked.

"..."

"Well?"

"Hey. Don't push your luck," Sonic warned.

"...it's alright. I..."

"Major Shadow, sir. Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but...this is very difficult for Miss Amy to cope with. I can feel that it...was a very traumatic experience," Kiriko said. "My observation of the spiritual world is still very much in need of sharpening, but...I can feel things like this."

"Kiriko..."

"Miss Amy, I believe you. If you felt anything from that machine, then it must be true."

"You're implying that we're dealing with a phantom?" Shadow asked.

"It won't be like that for long if this keeps up," Sonic said. "Metal's evolving by the second, so says the Eggster and Rosie-o. Right now he's just a spooky ghost in a robot suit. The more he attaches and integrates himself into the world..."

"...the more real he becomes," Rouge finished. "And Eggman's on ARK? Reversing this, right?"

"Tryin' to. Rougie, we're in this for the long haul. Says he needs a week."

"Beautiful," she said with a sigh.

"Our only bet at stopping this from eating up the whole planet is to take on Metal-head ourselves. Buy some time," Sonic said.

"And the civilians?" Shadow asked.

"...we can't make any promises about them."

"You're suggesting..."

"Look, if we get in too deep, we'll have no choice. You and I both get it."

"Yes, that much is understood. But for now, we'll avoid damaging them as best we can. Omega, make it part of protocol."

"Affirmative. Cause as little harm to robotic civilians as possible."

"Eh. Close enough," Rouge said with a shrug.

"Master Emerald's broken, too," Tails said. "If we can restore it again, we'll have another edge."

"I think I can take care of that myself, Tails."

"Yeah, that's a terrible idea. You're not doing this alone, so let's figure out our next move first."

"Who made you the boss?"

"Knuckles, don't be an idiot. We need to partner up or else we're in trouble. We don't know what's out there waiting for us," Amy said.

"I agree with Miles and Miss Amy. Sorry, Mister Knuckles...but it really is too dangerous to engage in solo operations," Kiriko added gently.

"Hmph."

"You're outvoted, Knux. Don't worry, we'll make this work. And there's another thing," Sonic said. "Eggman said that there are some shady actors behind this whole deal."

"Figures," Rouge muttered. "I think we should make something out of tracking those scumbags down."

Shadow nodded in agreement. "Right. Chances are they're in Station Square...the de facto hub of this whole mess. We'll have to work our way in from here. The first place we head towards should be the G.U.N Central City HQ."

"You think that place will be useful?" Tails asked.

"Yes. But we'll need to split up once we head inside. I scanned the area and noted two unusual fragments of Chaos Energy. That has to be the shards."

"There's one reason to go, at least," Knuckles muttered. Rouge opened her mouth to say something but paused and stopped. Sonic and Amy sighed with relief.

"Either way, the building is worthy of further investigation. It has not been completely taken over by the cyberforming."

"No kiddin'," Sonic said, scratching his head.

"That's definitely a big reason to head over," Tails said.

"Guess we're gonna squad up," Sonic said with a smile. "We'll take the scenic route, I guess. Cut across the beach and then hit the streets, we'll be close with no hassle."

"Let's go, then," Shadow said, starting to walk. The group followed as Wanderer lifted itself higher in the air to idle.

Sonic looked back at the ocean for a moment, watching as the lightning bolts struck the water over and over.

"Sonic? Everything okay?"

"Yeah, Ames. It's fine. What about you? Anything?"

She shook her head. "No bad vibes yet. This is an opportunity."

"Yeah."

"Let's catch up." She smiled and grabbed his hand, leading him down the beach and after their friends.

He turned his head away from the darkening ocean and didn't resist as Amy pulled him along.


	13. Focal Point 2

a/n: Something to live by. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **13\. Focal Point, Act 2**

* * *

"So?"

"Mm?"

"Don't be so coy. C'mon."

Rouge nudged Amy once as they walked together. The towering lights sent white cones down onto the streets, illuminating the group as they walked through them. Everyone took an even pace as they went through the darkness of the city and past the ruins of vehicles. Save for the varied sounds of footsteps, it was silent.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Amy said with a smile.

"Amy..."

"Fine, I'll stop teasing. We haven't talked like this in a while anyways."

"Right. So...?"

"So...he really put the honey in honeymoon, is all."

"That so?"

"Definitely so. I felt things...in places...I didn't know I had," Amy said dreamily. "Worth it."

"Sounds like you had a good old time."

"Understatement. Besides...you know, all of that stuff, he showed me a good time. I mean, money can't buy happiness, but it helps."

"Sure does. So you've been going steady for a year now, eh?" Rouge asked.

"Mm-hm."

"Anything not to your liking?"

"No, not even close. He's...I mean, he's just about perfect. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's the truth." Amy sighed and brushed some of her hair back. "What about you? Are you two...you know."

"Me and him? No...well, I mean..."

"You want to," Amy finished.

"...yeah. If I had to be honest. I wouldn't mind us being...a thing," Rouge said softly. "It's not even him, it's me. I really do care, but there are just these walls. He wants to get close and I push him away, and then he's got all of these complicated things going on...it's just exhausting sometimes. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, I get it."

"Yeah."

"So you and Knuckles...?"

"Him? No. I mean, we did have a thing going but he's too...too..."

"Stubborn? Dense?"

Rouge shook her head. "No, that's not it. I didn't mind those things. He's just too...himself."

"Mm." Amy thought for a moment.

"What I mean by that is he means well, but he's just straightforward and nothing else. Everything can be solved by way of shortcuts with him. I'm not that simple. I can't be. I've tried in the past." She looked over at Amy. "You think he hates me?"

"I think he resents what happened between you."

"I'm trying to avoid getting him sparked up."

"I know. To be honest, Sonic and I were talking about it. He..."

"Gets distracted easy. I know," Rouge said. "I _did_ date the oaf once."

"You gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'll keep it professional...though that might tick him off too. How about I just play it by ear?"

"Sounds fine to me."

"Great. And I won't be teaming up with him for this whole thing. I'm sure we'd be good, but...he just asks too many questions. He wants to open up all the doors I have closed, but it's not possible. I've thrown away the keys to a bunch of them already. And if he just goes in like an idiot and knocks them down, I don't know what it'll do to me. I don't...want to hurt him. He probably thinks he's hurt now, but that's nothing."

Amy placed a hand on Rouge's shoulder and rubbed it gently.

"Sheesh. I didn't think I'd be talking about this crap with Sweet Lil' Amy Rose," Rouge said with a small smile. "You've really grown up, you know?"

"I know. I have you to thank for some of it, Rouge."

"I don't deserve much credit. You were already on your way...a clever girl in her own right."

"Rouge?"

"Yeah?"

"One day soon, you need to talk to him. Tell him how you feel."

"I..."

"I know it'll be hard. But he wants to be there for you. He _will_ be there for you, no matter what. The way you look at each other...I know that you can make it work."

"..."

"You'll be okay. I promise, Rouge."

"Thanks...Amy, I mean it. Thanks a lot."

"Anything for you, Rouge," she said with a warm smile.

Further ahead, Sonic walked with Kiriko at his side.

"So you've been out training with Shadow, huh."

"Yes, Ca-I mean, Sonic. Yes," she said with a nervous blush.

"Haha. You're always like that around me. Old habits die hard, eh?"

"I suppose. But...I can't help it. You were the one that gave me this life, Sonic. My name, my identity...everything. I owe you so much, and you really are just amazing in every way. I know I sound..."

"Just like Amy."

"Like...Miss Amy?"

"Sure. She was a bit more obsessive, but eventually, we clicked. Besides, showing your tender side to the ones you love is totally fine. I like that in you, 'Riko."

"Th-thank you..."

"It's no problem. City treating you fine?"

"Yes. I've been able to make my way. Learning was surprisingly easy for me. But...I miss the days with you and Miles."

"Those were some good times, yeah," Sonic said with a smile. "I won't forget those days. "

"Neither will I. Sonic, I..." She felt herself blushing. "I'm sorry. Maybe this will sound weird, but I've always loved you. Not in the way Miss Amy does, but...maybe as a servant loves her master."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," she said with a nod. "I'm not ashamed to admit that...thank you for everything so far. For allowing me to become the young woman that you see before you. I want to grow even stronger still, for your sake. And the first step will be stopping that Metal Sonic from taking over the Earth."

"Right. Kiriko?"

"Yes?"

"I feel the same way, you know? I really love you too, a whole lot. And Amy feels the same. Just take care of yourself, and remember that I'm always a call away if you need anything. Got it? Don't try to take on the world alone."

"I'll remember. Thank you, Sonic."

"Hehe." He placed a hand on her head gently, making her smile. "Any time, kiddo."

Tails casually sat on one of Omega's bulky shoulders, manipulating data on the holographic screen in front of him. His ears twitched occasionally to catch the mutterings going on between the pair ahead.

Knuckles gave Shadow sidelong glances on occasion as they walked ahead of the rest of the group.

Becoming annoyed, Shadow turned his head to look at the echidna.

"What is it you want?"

"What?"

"Did you think I couldn't see you? You obviously have something to say if you keep looking at me like that. Unless you're just-"

"Hey. You're beginning to sound like Sonic."

Shadow's eyes narrowed. "I'll let that insult slide. We don't need infighting."

"Fine by me."

"So what is it you want?"

"Nothing."

"A well crafted lie. They don't call you a master of deception for nothing," Shadow said dryly. "It's about her."

"What?"

"Are you playing dumb, or is this your neutral state?"

"Hey, watch it."

"If you want to know, she's fine. I won't speculate about her thoughts regarding you."

"That's a relief."

"...but if I had to say anything, it seems like she's over you."

Knuckles glared at Shadow.

"Don't worry. It's not you, it's her. She has a complex web of emotions to untangle. I doubt any man is up to the task," Shadow plainly said.

"How would you know?"

Shadow gave Knuckles an incredulous look and continued. "She has to accept parts of herself before she can truly commit to any relationship."

"So you haven't made a move on her?"

"We're comrades. Nothing more."

"I'll buy that. And a herd of flying pigs, while I'm here."

"You jest, but I am serious."

"Whatever. I bet you've been waiting for this opportunity."

"You're jealous."

"Hardly."

"So...you're jealous."

"I am not," Knuckles said firmly.

"Then we can cease this line of questioning?"

"Go right ahead."

"Wonderful."

They were silent for a long while before Knuckles took a breath in.

"No," Shadow interrupted. "She isn't dating anyone. Hasn't for a long while. For your own sake, Guardian...leave her be. If it is meant to be, it will be."

"What, you mean like Sonic and Amy?"

"They defy reality," Shadow said. "You are rooted in it, and so is she."

"..."

"And for the record, we're just friends. Comrades. You have nothing to worry about from me." Shadow started to say something else, but shook his head. "That's all there is to it." He walked further on, leaving Knuckles to trail behind him.

Tails let out a breath and shook his head. He tapped a holographic button.


	14. Focal Point 3

a/n: From the source. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **14\. Focal Point, Act 3**

* * *

The group came to a stop inside the lobby of the G.U.N building.

"It's peaceful here...everything's undisturbed," Amy said.

"Wonder why that is?" Rouge asked as she looked around.

"There has to be something in here that Metal Sonic needs intact. At least for the time being," Tails concluded. "What's the layout of this place like?"

"There is an extensive testing facility on one of the lower levels. That is our primary destination," Shadow said.

"Since this looks like a safe zone, might as well get things squared away. This is where we'll split for now," Sonic said. He looked to Amy and she nodded once. "Knuckles, you and Rouge need to head up and track the Emerald pieces. They're in different locations...split yourselves up and get one each."

"Got it," Rouge said as she walked away. Knuckles watched her go before shaking his head, going in the other direction.

"Mercy me," Sonic muttered under his breath. "Shadow, you've got access to the relevant areas. Take Tails with you."

"And yourselves?"

"I'm gonna back Ames up while she does some investigating."

"Fine. Prower, let's go."

"Roger that. See you in a few, Sonic."

"Yup. Omega, Kiriko. You two stick around and keep watch."

"Understood, sir."

"Affirmative. Switching to patrol mode."

"Let's go, Amy."

"Yeah."

Omega stood silently in front of the glass doors. Kiriko went down to her knees beside him and placed a hand on her katana grip. She closed her golden eyes and went still.

* * *

"This place should be fine."

Amy closed her eyes as she entered the conference room, Sonic following behind her.

"Stay close. And don't touch anything, okay?"

"Yeah."

She nodded and held her right hand out as she circled the long wooden table in the centre of the room. It gently brushed against the tall leather chairs, causing an echo inside of her spirit with each touch. She turned her head and Sonic followed. He saw nothing, but she could feel the room slowly filling up with memories, transmitted by the objects that remained.

Amy ran her fingers over a pen lying on the table. The shade of a woman appeared, scribbling quick notes. She touched a piece of paper and heard a voice reciting the speech that was on it. Another contained situational facts and figures.

She made her way to the front of the room and brushed her hands along the large television screen. Remnants of a video played.

She felt a squeeze on her shoulder and smiled.

"I'm fine, my love. Thank you."

He nodded and fell back behind her as she walked. She focused as she made her rounds, gently touching everything in the room that she felt was relevant.

"Okay. I'm done," she said, opening her eyes. "Now, I put everything together."

A dull glow covered her fingertips, and she pressed her thumb and index finger together. She paused, took a deep breath, and waited for a minute.

Then she snapped her fingers.

A faint ripple spread through the room, making it wave slightly.

"Looks like it's ready," Sonic said.

"Yes." She took his hand in hers, and he could see the waves start to settle. People were now visible in the leather chairs, and in spots all around the room. There was the scratching of pens on paper. There were sips of coffee from mugs long gone, quick bits of chatter.

"Alright, so...what does any of this mean?" one of the uniformed women asked. Judging from their attire, they seemed to be commissioned officers of high rank.

"That data is inconclusive."

"Is that what was said?"

"No, but-"

"Calm down. All the data says is that the chip is reacting to stimuli."

"Specific stimuli," another voice added. "And rather violently at that. It was a complete accident, but we can see that something about Sonic the Hedgehog sets his memories off."

"Isn't the data from that ROM chip corrupt?"

"We checked. It was perfectly intact...but none of the data on it related to this."

"It's the closest thing we have to the actual data on Metal Sonic."

"Pardon me for being paranoid, but...this seems like an ill-advised venture."

"I agree."

"We can't just abandon this opportunity."

"You don't get it. We accidentally introduced visuals of Sonic into the testing, and...the body overloaded itself with power. It melted in front of us!"

"He can't have any recollection of the incident. According to the blueprints, the original blueprints, all of his memory centres were lost after his fight with Sonic. This ROM chip that E-123 Omega retrieved has nothing to do with what happened. It was just a freak accident..."

"We're running out of time. Resume the tests...we'll connect him to the mock grid in order to see how he handles. After that, we start on the real thing. We need to find out what makes that machine tick."

The voices faded, and so did the people attached to them. Soon, the room was normal again and silent.

"That's all I could get from the psychometrics..."

"Nothing to apologize for, Amy. That was all kinds of cool," Sonic said with a smile. "So we know what was going on now."

"Yeah. Central City seemed to be one of the hubs for the prototype testing...gosh. I still can't believe they went and did this."

"He freaked out when he saw a picture of me. I guess that must have been his soul reacting."

"Sonic...I'm getting a bit worried. If he comes back completely, he might be stronger than ever."

"No kiddin'. I think I can handle him, but..."

"We shouldn't take chances."

"Well, you're right about that. But we're an unbeatable team, remember?"

"I remember."

"Right. So don't worry your pretty lil' head, Rosie-o. Like I said...I'll be there for you."

"Right. I don't really mean to be a mood-killer."

"I know, I know. That's what I like about you. You worry."

"Do you really like that about me?" she teased, wrapping her arms around him.

"The worrying is fine. The nagging, not so much."

"I do not nag you!" she pouted playfully.

"You do. For that...one thing."

"Aw, sheesh." She smiled and traced a finger on his chest. "A girl has needs too, doesn't she?"

"Well...you ain't wrong."

"If we weren't on a vital mission..."

"Buuuut we are."

"Yeah," she said with a sigh. "We are. C'mon, let's head back and wait for the others."

"Well...this is kind of a ghost table and all. I mean, I'm always open to whatever new kinks you-oof."

"Stupid," she said as she elbowed him gently, smiling. "Let's go."

"Hey, I meant it. I'll let you use the chocolate syrup on me this time."

"Sonic!"

"What?"

* * *

A loud croaking rang out through the forest.

"Hmmm? What's that?"

More croaking.

"Froggy? Is someone coming to visit us?"

The large purple cat grunted and stood up, leaving his fishing pole securely in place.

"Yo! Long time no see, Big!"

"Sonic? Oh, hey! How come you're out here all alone? The weather's pretty bad, you know..." Big raised a gloved finger up to the blackened skies.

"Yeah, I just wanted to check on you guys! Hope everything's okay," he said, poking the frog once with a finger. "Anyways, I gotta go. I'll see you two later. Stay safe!"

"You too! Wow..." Big watched as Sonic jogged away. Froggy croaked repeatedly. "I know you're sad to see him go too, Froggy. Sonic's such a nice guy! Too bad, I wanted to cook lunch for him. Oh well."

Big lumbered back to his fishing hole.

"Water looks great, doesn't it?"

Indeed, it was crystal clear with fish swimming about.

Sonic's image bled away as soon as he felt he had gained enough distance through the dense forest. The sleek, black skeletal shell of Metal Sonic appeared underneath it. He clenched his right hand into a fist, watching as it crackled with electricity.

"I've reacquired the Chaos data...soon. Soon I will be free of this wretched body."

His red eyes glowed brightly.

"Soon."

His body melted, disappearing into the black earth.

Lightning flashed in the skies above.


	15. Focal Point 4

a/n: Changing the game. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **15\. Focal Point, Act 4**

* * *

Shadow rapidly tapped numbers into the keypad beside the metal door. It slid open with a hiss and he walked through, Tails following behind. They were greeted by a stark white room, large and open. Lines and circles were painted into the floor in varying colours, with equipment placed in specific spots to capture data. One such area had a temporary set of walls with caution signs on the outside.

"Seems to be the area of the failed experiment," Shadow muttered as he pushed the heavy plastic door open. In the middle of the quarantined zone lay a solidified puddle of black and grey metals.

"The heck happened here...?"

"They said it was a malfunction. An overload of energy after some stimulus was introduced."

"Wonder what it was?" Tails mused. "Did they lose the chip?"

"No. The data from the chip was copied to a substitute. The original...is with the real Metal Sonic now."

"Figures."

Shadow and Tails exited the quarantine area. "If we can destroy that chip, the connection he has to the earthly plane should be severed. That much I could conclude from what Rose was saying earlier."

"What are you thinking from a realist perspective?" Tails asked.

"Hmph. Well...I don't believe we're going to reach the original before he fully integrates himself. Which means that we'll have to find a way to completely annihilate him, soul and all."

"That sounds about right."

"Let's check the computer," Shadow said, nodding towards the large monitor nearby.

"Yeah, we'll do that. Let's just siphon some data while we're here..." Tails pressed a button on the red metal bracelet around his right wrist. A small memory drive popped out and he stuck it into a slot on the console in front of him. "We're live. Let's see, now..."

Shadow felt a small vibration on his hand. He tapped the cuff of his glove.

"This is Shadow."

"Hey, it's me."

"Rouge. Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine, nothing to worry about. I found the shard a minute ago. It was just floating there in the hallway."

"Alright. Head back to the lobby and wait for everyone to gather again. Was there something else?"

"Ah? I was just giving you a sitrep, you know? Nothing special."

"...yes. I see."

"I...yeah. I probably could have told you all this once we met up, eh?"

"Probably."

"Sorry to be a bother, partner. I'll catch up with you when you're done, yeah?"

"Of course." He thought he could hear a small sigh before she hung up, but he wasn't sure. He thought on it for a moment before turning back to Tails.

"Was that Rouge?" the fox asked as he typed away.

"Yeah. Just a situation report. She was being cautious."

"Alright. I'm really getting nowhere with this...most of the data's corrupted. Nothing doing..."

"Unfortunate, but..."

"I can use this for something else. The satellite imaging and GPS systems are working, so I can force an algorithm or two into this mapping program here...and track the proliferation of cyberforming across the planet."

"Fine, go ahead."

"Yes, sir." Tails continued to type quickly, manipulating the existing map program to show the spread of the darkness across the planet. Shadow watched his movements and kept up with them, all the while impressed by the fox's expertise.

"And done."

"Yes, I see. So...this is what it all looks like," he said as he looked at the reconfigured map. The areas covered by darkness were not as extensive as he thought earlier. Predictably, heavily developed and populated areas on the planet were already completely transformed. "Thirty five percent, is that correct?"

"Yeah. Actually, from tracking the vectors...the spread has slowed down a bit. No clue why, though."

"The contours," Shadow noted as he pointed towards an area on the screen. "Metal Sonic is taking height into account as well. The silos all seem to sit on high points, so that probably helps the spread. It's also much slower over the water."

"Yeah. It didn't extend out as far from Central City as I was thinking, for example. But it moves really fast through the air, especially as storm cells. Believe it or not, there aren't thunderstorms everywhere the darkness is."

"Prower, can you track the trajectories of the silo launches?"

"Way ahead of you." Tails held down two buttons and an array of lines appeared, leading away from each of the devastated areas.

"G.U.N bases...many of them were carrying versions of the Doctor's cyberforming technology. Metal Sonic must have infiltrated them through the central network and modified the technology remotely, then launched them." His red eyes roamed across the screen before stopping. "There."

"Hm?"

"What's that? Inside of the Arctic Circle..."

"That...something got shot down," Tails said. "It's one of the silos."

"So it never did manage to take hold...I'm sure this was a freak accident, but it's an opportunity. NORAD must have taken it out before it was compromised. What's the nearest location?"

"Alert."

Shadow grunted. "Cute. Is CFS Alert still active?"

"Can't tell. These silos put out a lot of EM waves as it is...communication at this point over such a long distance might be useless."

"You have a point. Alright, we have all that we need. After completing these tasks, we'll have a better understanding of the situation."

"Wait...what about this place? Here," Tails said as he pointed to an area in Europe. "Everything around it has been affected, and there's an active silo really close by. But according to what we're looking at, the country is fine."

"So it is. The Kingdom of Soleanna."

"The Queen is still there, in the palace. From all of the reports I can gather off the web, there are a bunch of rumours about her...some are saying that she's locked herself in her room, refusing to eat and praying daily in order to keep the kingdom safe from the darkness."

"Intriguing...superstition or not, there's definitely something keeping the cyberforming at bay, especially if Soleanna is in the heart of Europe like that. We'll need to investigate that as well...I have an idea of what needs to be done," Shadow said firmly.

"Okay. Just lemme grab this data before we go...and...presto." Tails removed the small drive from the computer console and popped it back into the slot on his bracelet. "Good to go. Let's head back."

"Right." He gave Tails a look. "Have you thought about joining G.U.N on a permanent basis?"

"Eh...maybe when I'm a bit more grown up," Tails said with a smile.

"How much growing up do _you_ have to do?" Shadow asked.

"Enough. But I'll honestly give it some thought."

"Fair enough."

"I'd probably end up being your boss, though. You'd be working under me, you know?"

Shadow chuckled lightly. "That doesn't sound like a bad place to be, kid."

* * *

"Your Highness...keeping this up is taking a toll on your health."

"You're right. It is."

She stood on her balcony, raising her blue eyes to the heavens.

"Such is the price of hope in these times. Will you make me another one of those drinks, please? I feel parched."

"Of course, Your Highness."

"Such is the price of hope...and I am willing to spend all that I have. I can rest soon...once he arrives."


	16. Focal Point 5

a/n: Bang. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **16\. Focal Point, Act 5**

* * *

"The man of the hour arrives!"

Sonic bowed as Shadow arrived, earning a glare for his troubles.

"Let's just get this over with."

"You're the boss. Oh, Ames. You wanna tell 'em what we found?"

"We'll wait for everyone else," she said.

"Won't have to wait long. We're here," Rouge called out as she approached. She tossed the Emerald shard over Sonic's head towards Knuckles, who caught it and merged it with his own piece. He placed it in the space behind his back and adjusted his hat.

Kiriko and Omega moved from their positions quietly and joined the group.

"Okay. Rose, what did you uncover?" Shadow asked.

"I got a view of what happened in the conference room just up the hall. Turns out that an experiment went awry with Metal Sonic after they showed him a visual of Sonic at one point. He-"

"Melted from an overload of power. A malfunction," Shadow finished for her. "But you don't think that it's the case."

"No. It was his hatred for Sonic."

"I see."

"All of the people in that room were in serious denial," Sonic added. "They didn't think it was possible that some part of Metal survived."

"And look where that got them," Knuckles said. "And us."

"They couldn't have known," Amy countered. "We sure weren't thinking that he would ever come back. We trashed him beyond anything you could have imagined...but we're here. That's all there is to it, Knuckles."

"Hm."

"What did you guys find?" Amy asked Shadow.

"We've managed to map the spread of the cyberforming across the planet. It's at thirty-five percent and rising. Most populated areas are already changed. Air is a potent vector, and water retards it. The rate of change is slowed from the initial burst. Which leads to the next phase that I will discuss with you."

"What is it, hon?" Rouge asked.

"Prower and I determined that one of the silos has been shot down over the Arctic Circle, near the North Pole. It's in Alert."

"There? Ain't that a bitch."

"Quite. I will investigate the silo in the north, alone."

"Hold on, didn't three of you just give me crap for wanting to go solo?" Knuckles interrupted.

"This isn't nearly the same thing, if you've been paying attention."

Amy winced as Rouge spoke.

"Shadow is doing an investigation into that thing to see how we can stop or reverse what's happening across the planet. He's one of, if not the most qualified out of us here to do that. And don't get me started on capability, combat or otherwise. What you or I would be doing on a solo mission trying to find pieces of the Master Emerald is just about the same as groping in the dark. And with our concentrations split in so many ways at once, we're vulnerable to whatever Metal Sonic might throw at us."

Knuckles gave her an indignant look. "I'm pretty sure I can hunt for Emerald pieces and take care of myself at the same time."

"We're pretty sure you can't," Rouge responded dismissively. "There's nothing else to say about it. Shadow's made an executive decision and that's that. He knows what he's on about."

"Tch."

"Ah, Captain Rouge is right," Kiriko said, jumping in. "Major Shadow excels in solo operations, and it will be safer overall."

"And on top of that, we're not wasting manpower," Shadow added in. "Because I'll need the rest of you to move to other locations. There's an untouched pocket of land in Europe. Soleanna."

"Huh. Wonder what's going on there?" Sonic mused.

"That's what we want to find out. The echidna can hunt for his shards, with backup. I hate to waste good assets on busywork, but this is needed. Prower, I assume you can track the positions of the shards from your aircraft. Keep in touch with the Doctor and all of us from the air. If needed, I will make my way to the vessel on my own. Attempt to chart a path towards my location as soon as I give the word."

"Roger that."

"After I finish my initial mission, I will proceed to track the movements of the remaining upper brass. Again, this will be a solo operation. Lieutenant."

"Yes sir."

"I am going to trust you with a goodwill mission. Will you accept?"

"Sir, I humbly accept this mission, sir," Kiriko said firmly.

"This will be a solo operation. You will be heading to the Kingdom of Soleanna. I want you to speak to the Queen."

Kiriko was flustered for a moment before regaining her composure and saluting.

"Sir, understood, sir. I will make contact with the Queen of Soleanna."

"Very good. At ease, lieutenant."

"Sir. Thank you very much. I won't let you down."

Shadow nodded. "Rouge...I'm trusting you with something else. I need you to go to the G.U.N HQ in Westopolis."

"Right," she said without missing a beat.

"Omega will go with you as fire support."

"Affirmative."

"Contact me when you're done. I'll rendezvous with you both post haste. Both of you be careful."

"We will, Shadow."

They paused for a moment to look at each other before turning their gazes elsewhere.

"And the remaining two..."

"You want us to stall."

Shadow turned his head towards Sonic.

"And more, if you can manage it. Station Square. If you find yourself in distress-"

"We've got you all on speed dial. But me an' Ames should be fine."

"We will be." She hooked her arm underneath his.

"...you're the only ones capable at this point in time," Shadow said grudgingly. "Investigate the vector origin first. It's going to be a few days...one has already passed since the cyberforming began. I expect we won't see results for about a week," Shadow said. "In that time, hopefully all of our assignments save for the one are completed."

"What's the first stop?" Tails asked.

"Soleanna. Take Lieutenant Hoshikira with you and drop her off at a neutral location nearby. Then start your search for the Master Emerald pieces. The rest of us will proceed on foot to our locations."

"I guess this is where we go our separate ways, for now," Sonic said. "See you guys in a week."

"Later, you guys." Tails gave Sonic and Amy a hug together. "Stay safe."

"We'll try."

"I'll be off. Good luck to all of you." Shadow saw Rouge give him a glance, but said nothing before warping away.

She paused before shaking her head, taking a deep breath in. "I'll see you later, darlings. Be safe...Omega, let's go."

"Understood. May your missions be successful, comrades."

Rouge walked out through the front doors, Omega following.

"Please be well," Kiriko said to Sonic and Amy. "I'll pray continually for your protection."

"Thanks, 'Riko."

"Kiriko, thank you. I know you'll do well. Believe in yourself," Amy said as she gave the younger girl a hug.

"Yes, ma'am. I will. Mister Knuckles, Miles...we should begin our journey."

"Right. You two...don't do anything stupider than usual."

Amy rolled her eyes at him. "Goodbye, Knuckles."

"Happy huntin', Knux."

He nodded and followed Tails through the entrance.

Sonic and Amy walked outside a few minutes later, looking out at the darkened horizon.

"Feeling anything?"

"Just my stomach doing flips. I'm nervous," she said.

"Yeah. Me too."

"A whole week...in Station Square."

"Yeah."

He put an arm around Amy, holding her close. A slight trembling went through her body.

"We'll be okay. It's a tough assignment, but he believed in what we could do," he said.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, it's just...thinking about all that happened and now having to face him again for real."

"I know. I thought that nightmare was over, too." He clenched his free hand into a fist.

Lightning flashed in the distance.

"I'm scared. I accept that now."

Amy released herself from his grip and stared into his eyes. The shades of nervousness were transforming into determination. She steadied her trembling hands.

"Just remember, alright? You're not alone out here."

She nodded. "Yes...I know."

"But you want to stand on your own two feet."

"Yes. More than anything."

"You will, Amy. I know you will."

She nodded again and walked ahead. Sonic unclenched his fist and looked to the sky.

A moment later, he took off into a jog and Amy followed. They left the streets of Central City far behind soon after.

* * *

The phantom waited atop the highest building.

"They mean to oppose me so soon..."

A bolt of lightning flashed nearby, tearing apart the street below. The figure glowed as electricity rolled over it.

"It is not yet complete."

Red eyes glowed in the darkness.

"But I will make use of this. I will finish what I started so long ago."

They faded to nothingness.

"I will consume her soul and take her power for my own. It is only fair...I can no longer be the true Sonic. No..."

Another bolt of lightning flashed.

He was already gone.

"I am already a demon."


	17. The Suns of Liberty

a/n: Old wine in new wineskins. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **17\. The Suns of Liberty, Act 1**

* * *

Kiriko adjusted her seatbelt as she looked over the Tornado's flight controls. She slid a pair of goggles over her eyes and inserted a Chaos Emerald into the custom-made slot on her right side.

"Ready for takeoff, Miles."

"Alright. Be careful out there, Kiriko."

"Understood. First Lieutenant Kiriko Hoshikira, call sign Tornado-3. Requesting takeoff clearance."

"This is Wanderer, you're cleared for takeoff, Tornado-3."

"Acknowledged. All systems operational."

The hangar doors quickly slid open as the small plane's propeller started to spin into a blur.

"Launching."

With a small lurch, the plane rolled forward and out past the doors. They slid closed as the Tornado escaped the shadow of Wanderer, moving through the pitch black skies. In the distance was a massive circle of light, reaching into the heavens and separating clear blue skies from the choking darkness. Clouds roamed in circles within the barrier, creating rotating patterns in the sky.

Kiriko typed into the on-board computer and waited.

"KSRAF, this is Tornado-3 requesting permission to enter your airspace," she spoke.

"Tornado-3, this is KSRAF Air Control. Please identify so that we can further confirm your presence," a warm voice replied.

"Understood. G.U.N Special Forces Operative, Lieutenant Kiriko Hoshikira. NATO registration number 2011-10."

"Special Operations Force Neutron Star."

"Correct. Aircraft is registered to Miles Prower. Call sign Tornado-3."

"Affirm. We have the aircraft in our database from prior requests. Lieutenant Hoshikira, you are cleared for entry and landing. An escort will be at the landing zone to receive you."

"Thank you, Air Control."

"The pleasure is ours, Lieutenant. Welcome to Soleanna."

Kiriko eased the plane forward and towards the barrier enveloping the kingdom. She adjusted the plane's speed as the air changed and prepared for her descent.

"Blue skies...I realize how much I take Earth's beauty for granted sometimes," she said to herself. The plane dipped below the swirling clouds and she felt moisture gather on her fur. It was a welcome, long forgotten sensation. Everything in the darkness was unusually sterile...though one would forget about it as time wore on. She looked down at the wind whipping through Kingdom Valley and at the well-preserved castle that rested within it. Nearing her destination, she could see the many, many waterways that connected all parts of the kingdom and ran through each of its cities.

She steered the plane well past the crown jewel of the kingdom, the royal palace.

There was definitely something about it, she knew. Someone was emitting a very large amount of energy and spiritual power, though it wouldn't be apparent to any of the regular citizens. More than anything else, it was likely to be the work of the Queen.

Kiriko spotted the runway of the Air Force base and brought the Tornado down to land. She took off her goggles and stashed the Chaos Emerald in the space behind her back, then took up her black katana and attached it to her side. She hopped out of the plane, making sure her uniform was still neat before walking up to the humans ahead.

Four women in crisp white blouses and matching skirts saluted her. She planted her feet firmly and saluted back.

"Lieutenant Hoshikira?"

"Ma'am. Yes, this is Lieutenant Hoshikira reporting in, ma'am."

The woman who stepped forward was of an average size, and stout. She had light freckles coupled with hazel eyes and light brown hair. There was a sword at her side, looking more ceremonial than anything. Kiriko however understood that these people were trained extensively in sword arts, much like she was.

"I am Major Louise Viera, KSAF Special Forces. I've been selected as your escort to the palace and the Queen," she said with a firm tone. She eyed the smaller woman's badges. "Ranger?"

"No, ma'am. I only attended Ranger School, ma'am."

"Hm. President's Hundred, too. Hot shot, are you?"

"No, ma'am."

"That's what I like to hear. At ease, Lieutenant. Have you eaten?"

"Not recently, ma'am."

"I did say at ease, didn't I?"

"Ah, my apologies. Force of habit, ma'am."

Louise gave her a smile. "I understand. You seem like a good kid. Let's grab you something on the way to the palace. We've already got you a scarf. Her Highness likes all of her visitors to look fashionable."

"Is that right...I understand. Do I look okay?"

"You look fine, it's nothing to worry about."

"Yes, alright."

Louise and Kiriko saluted the other three women once more before leaving.

* * *

"The entire planet is in disarray. I'm surprised that anyone's shown up from the outside...then again, you do hang out with rugged types from what I understand."

Kiriko and Louise rode down the finely paved streets in a horse-drawn carriage. The vibrancy of the small town was certainly a change, in stark contrast to the lurching robots that filled the cities outside of the barrier. People were laughing and chatting without a care, it seemed. Did they understand, or just not care?

"Your CO is Shadow, right?"

"Yes, ma'am." Kiriko started to adjust her red silk scarf, and Louise lent her a hand until it looked satisfactory.

"Hard to work with?"

"Not at all. He's actually quite caring. He looks out for each of his team members at all times and places faith in us, as he did this time when sending me on this mission."

"That sounds about right. You know, it's always the hard-nosed types that treat their comrades with the most care," Louise said. "But like I said, you're a good and well-cut kid. He seems like the type that really likes that in a person."

"I never thought of it like that."

"It's something you learn from spending time as a CO. You learn to appreciate the little things. Kiriko...did I say that right?"

"You did, ma'am."

"Alright. Kiriko...if it's not breaching protocol, do you mind telling me what's actually going on out there?"

"Metal Sonic's lust for revenge seems to have made him all-powerful. He returned from destruction at Sonic's hands and now has spread this darkness over the planet. It's why I'm here. Since Soleanna is resisting the effects of the planet's transformation, I'm going to ask the Queen about her method of protecting the kingdom."

"Metal...Sonic?"

"He was a robot doppelganger created by Doctor Robotnik."

"I heard rumours, but I didn't think they were real," Louise said. "Hm. I suppose this runs deeper than anyone could imagine...you said a lust for revenge? So this is a matter of souls, then..."

"Yes..."

"Well, our Queen is intimate with such matters. To be truthful, until I joined the military, I thought it was all superstition and garbage. But...after seeing all that I've seen, I understand it now. The Queen is exerting herself as we speak, and none of us know how it will affect her health. We all love her and believe in her dearly. If you can figure out a way to stop this darkness, I hope you can do it soon."

"All of us are working as hard as we can, I can assure you of that much. And I will do my part as best as I can."

Louise nodded and smiled. "I know you will. Good luck, Kiriko."

"Thank you, Miss Louise," Kiriko said with her own smile.

The carriage stopped and the two women stepped out in short order. They walked up to the wide front steps where soldiers lined both sides all the way up to the entrance. Kiriko and Louise saluted and the two rows of women saluted back, holding their positions as they ascended the palace steps. Two doormen dressed in white pulled open the large wooden doors as they walked inside.

Kiriko looked around at the interior of the long hallway as she walked behind Louise. There was the soft carpet, coloured a rich red. Paintings and glass cases of sculptures lined the walls. Lamps burned brightly, their light filtering through crystal chandeliers from above. They reached the main hall where a platoon of women stood on either side of three figures. A serious looking blonde woman with glasses and an immaculate white pantsuit on one side, with another white-haired woman in full officer's dress on the other, her hat obscuring her eyes. Badges, bars, and medals covered the right side of her uniform as she stood with her arms folded.

The woman in the middle walked forward, the other two following her. A sparkling dress reached down to her ankles and swirled around her just above the ground. Dull red hair reached down to her back and spilled down her front, swept to one side neatly above her bright blue eyes.

The clicks of her heels stopped as she reached Kiriko and Louise, who both saluted and held their poses.

"Be at ease, both of you," the woman said tenderly. They nodded and lowered their hands. "Is this our visitor?"

"Yes, Your Highness." Louise nodded for Kiriko to speak.

"Your Highness, I am First Lieutenant Kiriko Hoshikira of the Guardian Units of Nations. I have been sent here on a special mission by my commanding officer and current head of G.U.N operations, Major Shadow the Hedgehog. I am...honoured to meet you."

"Rather tidy. But sincere, all the same. You do look...familiar. Yes, much like him..."

"..."

"Do you know him? Sonic, I mean."

"He served as my Captain during his contract time with G.U.N several years ago. He is my mentor...and..." She paused. "He is someone very dear to me."

"I see..." The woman gave Kiriko a warm smile. "Then allow me to introduce myself formally." She placed a hand on her chest, and the hall immediately brightened.

"I am the ruler of the Kingdom of Soleanna, and the guardian of its sacred flames. My name is Queen Elise Astra Solaris the Third. I welcome you to our small and humble kingdom, Kiriko Hoshikira."

"Thank you...Your Highness," Kiriko said, blushing.

"It is my pleasure, my dear. You said that Sonic...he was dear to you, yes? I can tell that you carry much of his determination and conviction. I want to ask, on behalf of this kingdom, for your help. I will tell you everything I know, in order to put this madness at an end once and for all."

"Yes, understood. I'll become an instrument for your justice as well, Your Highness."

Elise smiled and nodded. "Bless you, Kiriko. Follow me, and we can begin."


	18. The Suns of Liberty 2

a/n: It'll hurt. But reach ever upward. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **18\. The Suns of Liberty, Act 2**

* * *

 _"Fly me to the moon...and let me play among the stars..."_

Although she sang, she carried nervousness in her heart.

The city of Westopolis was...

 _"Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars..."_

Untouched.

But a ghost city all the same.

 _"In other words, hold my hand...in other words, darling...kiss me..."_

A small ache hit her chest as the words came out.

She sang almost casually, her voice echoing down the streets and bouncing around the empty buildings.

 _"Fill my heart with song...let me sing forever more..."_

Her ears twitched with each note that echoed back to her.

 _"You are all I long for, all I worship and adore..."_

She could see through the city without having to lay eyes on it, sounds bouncing around and mapping each section ahead for her, and only her.

 _"In other words...please be true..."_

She paused her singing and tapped the small bracelet on her wrist.

"All clear, Omega."

"Affirmative. I will meet with you in T-minus two minutes."

"Mm-hm. See you soon."

The skies were still blackened and unsettling.

 _"In other words..."_

She paused and felt the last verse of the song die in her throat, doing nothing to revive it as sadness took over.

Rouge closed her eyes and stood in the middle of the street, silently waiting for her partner to arrive.

* * *

"Not as bad as I was expecting..."

The ice was visibly torn apart for several miles around, though not enough to lead into the icy waters of the Arctic Ocean. There was nothing but snow and flat, white land in sight.

Shadow was content with gliding and coasting to his destination. Coordinates pinpointed the crash site thirty miles north of Canadian Forces Station Alert, located in the community of the same name. He found this a good outcome as he wouldn't have to explain himself to anyone once he reached the silo. There was yet to be any sort of investigation, but that was probably because of the extreme cold that he was experiencing.

"It's not bad, but it's not good either. I probably shouldn't stay out here too long."

With that thought, his Air Shoes increased their output and he moved faster, swinging his arms in time with his movements. He soon could see the silo lodged in the ice up ahead.

A few moments later, he had reached it. Seven feet high and made of metal, just like the rest. He placed a hand on it and tried to sense if there was anything inside.

"Hm. It's the same. The barrier...and a source of energy." He activated his communicator. "Prower, come in. I've reached the crash site."

"Yeah? That's good news."

"Indeed. The silo is the same as the others. Same internal barrier, same energy source, same method of activation. The energy that would have been used to activate it has been dispersed as a result of damage to the container. Other than being jammed into this ice, it's intact. You said that Metal Sonic is evolving these technologies, correct?"

"Yeah. That's what we know so far."

"Then there's no time to waste. I'm going to send this directly to ARK. Contact the Doctor and tell him it will be in Lab 3, Sector R."

"Roger that."

"Here I go." Shadow focused and brought up his memories of the ARK facilities, painting a picture within his mind. He placed a hand on the silo and snapped his fingers, making it disappear in a flash of light. "It's sent."

"You okay?"

"Fine," he said, exhaling sharply. "Sending things that distance just takes a bit of energy."

"Eggman's confirmed the arrival of the silo."

"Good. Mission complete," Shadow announced to no one in particular. "Commencing new mission. Prower, maintain your course and continue searching for the Master Emerald pieces. I'll leave on my own."

"You sure? It's cold down there."

"I will be fine," he said with annoyance. "Worry about yourself."

"You're the boss. See you later, and good luck."

"I appreciate the sentiments." Shadow ended the conversation and stared at the hole in the ice. "Only a matter of time now...hm. That's right, I was careless." He contacted Tails again.

"Hey, what's up?"

"I didn't give you the data. Record these figures as I recite them...you may find them useful."

"Roger that. Go for it."

* * *

"Are you troubled, Rouge?"

"Huh?"

"Scanners indicate a high amount of anxiety and stress. Your stress levels have increased by twenty five percent."

"Everything's tense right now, you know? I'll be fine."

Rouge resumed her walk towards the G.U.N HQ, whistling along.

"Rouge. The notes of your whistling are wavering."

"They're not-"

"I am a machine. I have also been in close proximity to you for several years. I can easily discern your moods and habits. You are acting erratically."

Omega lumbered towards Rouge as she stopped. He pointed a metal hand at her.

"You are distressed over Shadow."

"That's ridiculous...I'm just a bit worried, is all."

"Even if I am only a machine, I might be able to alleviate your stress." Omega whirred for a moment, a beat passing. "There are no worthless consumer models to destroy. Perhaps talking will help."

"...I keep forgetting that you see and hear everything sometimes. Even if you don't want to," Rouge said softly. She walked over to an abandoned sports car and leaned back on the roof.

"..."

"Omega...I'm lost in my feelings for him."

"..."

Realizing the robot would not try to speak, she continued. "I...for the longest time, I've looked at him differently. Even though we decided that we would just be friends, it's always been more than that. Always been more than just camaraderie. I thought that maybe if Knuckles and I worked out, I'd be less of a burden on him, you know? But that fell through, and I found myself getting closer...so much closer than I wanted, or expected. I didn't want him to see my wounds and scars. But he...not only saw them, and accepted them...he did all he could to try and heal them. To try and heal me, the un-healable. Even if he didn't see it that way, it felt so romantic. And for a while, I lost myself in the feeling. I flirted, thinking it didn't mean anything. I was just being myself, teasing and all that. But he was never really annoyed. He never really disliked me for it, or anything else I did. More than just comrades, we became...more. Just more."

"..."

"I've been in love with that man for so many years. A few passed without me realizing it. Then once I did, I tried to deny it. And now I...I want him to..."

She rolled to one side and placed a hand on the cool metal of the car.

"I want him to notice me. Not just as a friend, but as a woman. I'm starting to ache for him. Is it wrong of me?"

"I cannot ascertain that," Omega said, breaking his silence.

"What can I do?" she asked as she stood up.

"Talk to him."

Amy's voice echoed after Omega's.

 _Tell him how you feel._

"But now is..."

"Time can be unreasonable and cruel, comrade. It knows no logic and does not regard organic emotion. The longer you delay your confession, the more this emotional pain will presumably grow. Shadow is most distressed when you are in emotional flux."

"..."

"As Sonic once noted, 'if now isn't the right time, then when'?" A perfect imitation of the blue hedgehog's voice rang out.

"...I know. But I don't want to-"

"He seems to be no stranger to pain. He willingly ignores it in regards to matters involving you, Rouge."

"I'm so full of excuses. I'm such a coward."

"Cowardice is reserved for those who give up. Rouge...you are no coward."

"Omega..."

"Fear is not equal to cowardice."

"I..."

He tapped her shoulder gently with a metal finger.

"The one to decide your destiny is you. But from my observations of your interactions with Shadow...regardless of the final outcome, he will remain in your presence indefinitely."

"..."

Rouge looked up into Omega's glowing eyes. She smiled.

"Omega...thank you." She floated upwards and kissed him on the top of his metallic head. "I know what I have to do. And besides...these emotions, they'll mess up the mission. I have to get this out of the way."

"You are welcome, Rouge."

She touched the bracelet on her wrist and went into thought.

"Will you require privacy?"

She almost said no, seeing as Omega already knew everything...but she also wanted an air of intimacy for once.

"Yeah. Do you mind?"

"Negative. I will move out of audio range. Contact me when you have completed your conversation."

"I'll do that, hon. Thanks, I mean it."

Omega turned and walked away. Rouge clicked a button on her bracelet and waited.

"Rouge. What do you need?"

"...I need to talk to you. Where are you?"

"Five miles south of CFS Alert. I've escaped the cold snap. What do you wish to speak to me about?"

"I...I just...wanted to see how you were doing. That's all, Shadow. I don't mean to waste your time."

"It's fine. How are you doing?"

"We're...almost to HQ. Westopolis hasn't been transformed like the other places. But it's abandoned all the way around. I need...to investigate more with Omega."

"Understood. Contact me when you have more details. I've sent the silo to the Doctor. He's going to look at it."

"That's really good."

"Yes. Be safe, Rouge."

"You too, Shadow. I...I'll see you in a bit. Take care."

"I will, Rouge. Thank you."

The call ended and Rouge put a hand to her head. She didn't hear Omega arrive behind her.

"You could not do it."

"What was that you said earlier...?"

She turned, tears falling from her eyes.

"Not a coward, was that right?"

"..."

Rouge pressed a warm hand against the robot's frame, head hung low.

Her frustrated sobs bounced off of the windows nearby, only to be swallowed up by the unforgiving darkness.


	19. The Suns of Liberty 3

a/n: Find solace in the finer points. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **19\. The Suns of Liberty, Act 3**

* * *

Sonic and Amy walked through the underground pathways of Station Square. It had only been a few hours since their arrival, but they wanted to stay clear of conflict until they got an update from the others.

"I remember walking down here a lot," Amy said. She brushed a hand against one of the walls.

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hm. A nice connection to all the shops and I could just take my time going on home. It was pretty good."

"And now you buy stuff online."

"It's so convenient though, isn't it?" she said with a smile. "But I can't spend my whole life doing that; it'd be way too boring. When this is over, I'm gonna go on a shopping date with Rouge. Maybe Kiriko, too."

"She'd probably like that. She was telling me that she wanted to look more feminine and stuff."

"She's fine the way she is. Gosh, she can be cute sometimes, you know? It's like having a little sister!"

"A big happy family, eh?"

"It's what I've always wanted." Amy turned to look at Sonic. "Can we start one of our own? Maybe after everything settles down?"

"If that's your wish, then...yeah. We can."

"I won't ask you to slow down any more than you already have."

"I just gotta be there, right?"

"Yeah. That's right. And I trust you to do that." She stopped and turned to give him a kiss. "You're the best husband ever."

"I try," he said with a smile. She smiled back before skipping ahead.

* * *

"Before you can learn anything, we gotta go over the basics."

Sonic was out of the hospital, nearly back to his strong and healthy self. Eggman's attacks had been very few and far in between, so the team took advantage by resting and in some cases, training. Sonic had invited her to join him in a certain location, a grassy plain on the outskirts of Station Square.

"The basics?"

"Yeah. If you're gonna keep up with me like I want, you need to find your own strength. It's right there, but you're closed off from it. I think it'll take a few days at the most for you, Amy."

"What do I need to do?" she asked.

"Discover your second sight."

"My...what?"

"Your second sight. Your alternate way of looking at the world."

"What is that? I mean...I don't quite understand, Sonic."

"It's not something easy to grasp," he said. "But it's something you develop from within. It all has to do with the balance inside of yourself, and drawing out the thing that makes you special. Once you do that, you'll become faster, a lot faster."

"Ah..."

"It's really simple, Amy. I talked to Rouge already about it, and she's giving you a week or two off to complete this. I'll cover whatever needs to be covered."

"You don't need to do that."

"No...but I want to."

She sighed and nodded, finally giving him a smile. "Okay, Coach. What's the regimen?"

"Just relax. Explore the world around you, and pay attention to it. And finally...I want you to go back to the time when you were a kid. Something...a hobby from that time that you felt connected to. Once you can make the connections within your spirit, the rest comes naturally."

"Alright. I'll do all of that."

"You'll know when it happens, Amy. I promise."

"I'll...see you later, then?" she asked.

"Yup. Good luck."

Still feeling slightly confused, she feigned a smile as she waved and walked away.

 _I'm not even sure what this is gonna help with, but...if Sonic is so sure, then I can trust him. I'll do my best to make this work._

And she did do her best, for the next five days. She took walks and observed the world around her, in the sun and in the rain, in light and in darkness. But still, there was nothing. Though she routinely pushed those feelings out, frustration was starting to settle in. She spent the sixth day lying face down on her couch in her pyjamas.

"This is bogus," she mumbled into a pillow. What was she doing wrong? What wasn't she doing?

She wanted to call him again, but all he did was restate his confidence in her ability. That didn't help much at all, if at all.

Amy sighed and picked herself up from the couch to make breakfast. Today would be a cereal day.

Frosted loops. Exciting.

It pushed her mind towards the other thing he said. Something about a childhood hobby?

"Hm."

She poured milk into her bowl of sugary Os and then carried it with her to her bedroom.

"Hm...where was it? Here? No...maybe here..."

Frowning, she set the bowl down on her nightstand and dug through the drawers below.

"Ah, here you are." She pulled out a small metal case and opened it. Inside was a neatly stacked deck of seventy-eight cards. She smiled contentedly. "It's been a while since I've played with these. I remember...using these the day I met Sonic, at Never Lake. I fell in love with him the moment I saw him, and then he rescued me from Metal Sonic..."

Sitting on her bed, she took the deck of cards into her hands.

"...maybe for old times' sake, eh? It's silly, but..."

She shuffled the deck and started to lay the cards out.

"Just like old times. Hm."

One card after another came from the top of the deck, laid out in the first pattern she had learned. It was called the 'Celtic Cross', a common tarot spread. She remembered the meanings of each of the cards as they fell into their places.

"The Empress," she said softly as she laid the tenth card down. She set the deck to one side and folded her arms. "I've been observing nature...interacting with it...but maybe not understanding. No...that's not it. It's something different."

She stood up and grabbed her keys, leaving the apartment and locking the door. Still in her pyjamas, she walked downstairs and towards the garden at the front of the building. It was modest, nothing like what she had seen on the trips she had taken out of town. An older woman was some distance away, tending to the flowers as she usually did daily.

Amy walked up to the first flower she saw and knelt down into the dirt. She gently cradled the plant in her hand, staring at it curiously.

"Maybe...I've been searching too much. Maybe..."

She could feel a stir.

"I just need to start looking."

A warmth went through her body. She could feel heat, different things coming from different places. The flower became a bright beacon in her eyes, glowing with rich, vivid colour. She gently slipped her hand away and rose from the dirt, looking at the world around her.

And at once, she knew.

This was it.

The connection with herself, her lost self, was restored. Connecting with her subconscious and the spiritual world that she had left behind so long ago. But here she was again, feeling the world turn around her.

Everything was bright.

She closed her eyes and focused, then opened them again.

The world was back to normal.

Amy brushed back some of her hair and smiled, walking back to her apartment.

"Yes, that's right...to be fast. So this is how you move through the world, eh? Hm..."

 _Well...let's see if I can really keep up, then. I'm in your care, Sonic._

* * *

"You hear that?"

"Yeah. Think it's him?"

Amy called her hammer to her hands and held it in front of her. "I don't think it could be anyone else. But..."

"But what?"

"It's...strange. It's like it's him, but...not from earlier. Like he's someone else, now. I don't understand it..."

"Maybe it's his freaky tech doing something..."

"No...no, this is way too different," Amy said.

Down the corridor, they could see the figure come to a stop. Pairs of sharp metal blades glimmered as they extended from metallic fists... much like a pair of knuckles. Green eyes pierced through the darkness.

"Sonic...?" Amy took a step backwards.

"This is the absolute _worst_ time...don't tell me he's the same..."

"If he's not, he's getting there soon..."

"Is there anyone else?"

"No, not that I can sense..."

"Okay. Get moving, then."

"Sonic-"

"Amy. You gotta go."

"..." She hugged him and smothered him with a kiss before running past the robot.

The metal copy whirred briefly before emitting steam from its ports in a display of aggression.

"Still a regular chatterbox, eh..."

The robot known as Metal Knuckles leaned forward in anticipation, red frame shining in the faint artificial light. Sonic smirked and copied the machine's motion, flexing his hands.

"Bring it."

They clashed in an instant, tearing apart the tunnel.


	20. Waver

a/n: Not always smooth. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **20\. Waver**

* * *

An explosion ripped apart the streets in the distance, a violent burst of wind following it. Another came afterwards, followed by three more simultaneously.

Amy watched as an object flew into the air, dirt and debris trailing behind it. A streak of blue shot up after it before shooting down onto the floating figure, driving it to the asphalt and throwing up another blast.

"Seems like he's doing fine," Amy said to herself. She closed her eyes and focused on the world around her. A moment passed before she could see what was going on from her perch above Station Square...there was the silo from earlier, still filled with life energy. But more importantly, a thin red line coming from the silo moved back and forth in small intervals, shaking slightly.

 _I see. This is the tether that Metal Knuckles is using...so he's watching us from afar, then._

Metal Sonic was content to let them keep moving, she realized. Was it confidence, or something else?

Either way...it could be played to their advantage. She decided to wait until Sonic was done before contacting him.

In the meantime, Sonic had come to the same conclusion as Amy and was simply biding his time. He narrowly and purposefully dodged the swipes and stabs of Metal Knuckles as they moved across the city streets. His elbow came up and he drove it into the robot's head, denting it inwards. He followed with a quick punch that sent the robot through a building, glass and stone exploding outwards with the impact.

"Can't go showing ol' Metal all of my dance moves, can I?" he said with a smirk.

"Sonic?"

"Rosie-o, what's shakin'?"

"How's everything on the ground?" Amy asked through the communicator.

"It's all good from here."

"Alright. I found something...Metal Knuckles is connected to the silo. It looks like Metal Sonic is using his integration with the city to control him through it."

"So this is his way of feeling us out," Sonic said.

"Yes. He's waiting for something...or he might be toying with us. Maybe both."

"Sounds like bad news either way. I guess I'll just smoke this guy and-"

"Wait."

"Eh?"

"The tether is contracting...and now it's disappearing."

Sonic noted a fresh burst of energy coming from Metal Knuckles' location before it disappeared completely.

"Tch. Chaos Control..."

"You felt it," Amy stated.

"Yeah. Looks like he was just a scout." Sonic turned and looked to the sky. "Guess you're right, he's trying to figure us out. Shads was right to send us to stall."

"Sonic...I'm..."

"You're feeling all topsy turvy all of a sudden. That right?"

"Those negative vibrations are hitting me full force."

He nodded. "I'll be there in a sec."

"Thanks."

Sonic focused and started to search for Amy's signal. He had it...for a second.

"Gone? That can't be right." He closed his eyes and searched again. "Something's off. A few somethings."

He muttered to himself and punched in the proper transmission code. 1-9-9-3.

"..."

Static.

"Damn. This ain't good."

He heard the familiar sound of jet boosters in the air above his head. He looked up.

"This really ain't good."

A fleet of at least twenty Egg Dragoons was descending from the blackened sky. Their revolver cannons whirred and clicked before they launched a barrage of energy bursts at the spot where Sonic stood a moment earlier. He landed on a light pole a block away from the new threats, and they immediately locked on in pursuit.

"I can take care of these chumps...I just gotta find Amy, wherever she is now. Though...twenty is a bit much."

He dropped down to the metallic street and took off, leaving a sonic boom in his wake as the machines followed.

* * *

"We're making progress."

Knuckles looked over the chunk of the Master Emerald in front of him. It was suspended in mid-air, above the replica of the Emerald Shrine that Tails had constructed for the Wanderer. Knuckles hadn't bothered to ask why there was such a thing inside of the giant plane; he figured Tails had his reasons, ones beyond his own understanding.

The two had collected a quarter of all the existing shards and were heading towards another on a small island, barely a mile wide.

"That radar of yours is pretty good," Knuckles remarked.

"Glad you think so."

"Yeah. Listen, are you sure that sending them to stall Metal Sonic was the best idea?"

"I'm not sure what you mean," Tails said.

"You don't remember? After that huge fight back then, Amy was a wreck. I don't think it was smart of Shadow to send them in there."

"If they wanted to object, they could have," Tails replied as he left the Shrine room. Knuckles shook his head and followed, the door sliding shut.

"That's not the point. You know how stubborn they are."

Tails turned his head to give Knuckles a look.

"What?"

"...nothing. You were saying?"

"It's irresponsible. She might end up reliving that trauma."

"When did you join the public morals committee?"

"I'm serious."

"Knuckles...it's a bit late to be contemplating the consequences of our actions."

"Now that...that's really irresponsible. What if they get into trouble?"

Tails sighed as he reached the front of the plane.

"Aren't you worried?"

"Yes, I'm worried. I'm always worried," Tails said as he sat in the pilot's chair. "But we have other things to do. I can't spend my time being afraid of what might happen or what wrong turns we could take. We just have to trust them...no matter what."

"I don't like it."

"What's with you all of a sudden?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"When we left them, you were joking about them doing something silly. Now you're worried."

Knuckles adjusted his hat. "It's just old instincts acting up. Something bad looks like it's going to happen soon."

"..."

"Is that the island?" he said, pointing out at the window.

"Yeah. I'll open the rear entrance for you. Contact me when you need to come back up."

"Got it. See you in a bit."

Tails pushed a button as Knuckles left. He sat silently for a moment before activating his communicator.

"Doctor, what's it look like from up on ARK?"

"It seems that the vector flow has slowed further from your last report. But...there is odd movement in Station Square. Energy is being rerouted to the area."

"I see."

"My research on the containment device has not yet yielded results. I will contact you once something is found."

"Understood. Thanks."

"Of course."

Tails shut off communications and slumped back into his seat.

"Maybe he's right...it looks like it from here. But I don't want to think about it right now...too much to do. Too much to take care of."

He felt a vibration and tapped his wrist.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's me."

"Rouge, is everything okay?"

"Just fine, hon. Omega and I are inside a computer room at Westopolis HQ...I want you to do a little of your tech magic for me, if you could?"

"Yeah, I'm game."

"Good. Omega is gonna link you with our target, and we should be good to go."

"Alright. Go ahead."

Tails brought up the holographic screen and focused as the data came in.


	21. The Suns of Liberty 4

a/n: Balance. Little by little. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **21\. The Suns of Liberty, Act 4**

* * *

"Oh, my. This really is quite good!"

"Thank you, Your Highness. I learned how to make it when I was younger."

Elise happily sipped tea from her cup while her two advisors looked on in confusion.

"Yes, this is incredibly delightful. The best tea I've had in ages. Bless you, Kiriko."

"I'm honoured," she said with a small blush.

"Now..." Elise set the cup down on the glass table in front of her. The four women sat in ornate wooden chairs around it.

"Yes, of course. At the last briefing, the contamination had reached thirty five percent of the planet's total surface area. I'm sure that the percentage has increased since the last report, but observations have shown that the spread has slowed down to nearly forty percent of its original pace. The movement of the contamination is slowed by water. "

"That's some intelligence report...not that your organization has any intelligence to speak of," the white-haired woman said.

"Alice, hush."

"I'm only speaking the truth. G.U.N has obviously been incompetent; the evidence is all around you. You're busy wasting away because those idiots couldn't be bothered to do their job and put away that psycho doctor when they should have. Now he's taken advantage," she said, glaring at Kiriko.

"The Doctor is not responsible for this," she responded calmly. "We've investigated the events. Metal Sonic is working autonomously...this corruption of the planet has been caused by a hijacking of existing military technology, originally developed by Doctor Eggman but never approved for wide scale use."

"Eggman did build Metal Sonic, didn't he?" Alice asked.

"Yes...the original version, at the least. He was destroyed by Sonic and Amy Rose several years ago, but an undamaged chip from the final battle was recovered."

"His vengeful spirit must have resided in that object," Elise concluded. "I understand now...he is trying to build an empire by taking over the Earth."

"My Queen, with all due respect-"

"Be calm, Alice. Everything will come together soon enough."

"Yes, of course. Forgive my rudeness, Your Highness." She pulled her hat down slightly, obscuring her pale green eyes.

"Where are Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy Rose?" Elise asked.

"In Station Square. Since Metal Sonic deems them the target of his vengeance, they're stalling him until we can come up with a solution. The Doctor is working from Space Colony ARK and we're collecting pieces of the Master Emerald in the meantime."

"The Master Emerald...yes, that will do nicely. I do sense a bad omen for those two in the city...oh, I hope they come out alright. But as for why you are here, young miss. I will explain how this barrier works."

"Your Highness, I cannot allow that," Alice said as she stood up. "I will invoke my powers as the General of the Armies if I see no other option."

"Alice-"

"Do not force my hand, Your Highness. I cannot allow a secret such as this to fall into the hands of an organization like the Guardian Units. They put us into this mess in the first place, and this hole is getting deeper and deeper by the second. Toying with forces beyond their understanding, creating monsters that have nearly destroyed the Earth time and time again...how can we trust anyone within that organization? Who's to say that this girl isn't a spy sent from on high to infiltrate this castle? If you speak a word about the methods behind our barrier, I will have her removed and imprisoned the moment she leaves this room."

"..."

"Not only the pride of the Royal Soleanna Armed Forces...but the pride of this nation. Of us all. If you give away this secret so lightly, your father-"

Alice stopped as Elise turned her head away.

"...don't let what happened to him be in vain," she finished.

"I am ready to listen, Your Highness."

Elise blinked and looked across the table at Kiriko, who calmly looked back at her. "Imprisonment will be a small setback. I simply want to know the method to keeping this barrier intact and rejecting the darkness with such efficiency. My loved ones are in danger and Metal Sonic must be stopped. Whatever I have to do, I will do...no matter the cost to myself. This is who I am."

"A calmness and serenity. Like the water that makes up the ocean. What was that saying," Elise mused. She twirled a lock of red hair around her finger. "Yes...fair winds and following seas. First Lieutenant Hoshikira. I am going to ask you to do something for me before I release this information to you. Something that you may not like."

"What is it?"

"Alice Sirius is my most trusted general, and the commander of all armed forces under the Kingdom of Soleanna. She has spent several years as a member of our own Foreign Legion, operating in dangerous zones. When she says that this secret is important, despite her tone being rougher than I would like, she is very much correct. Therefore, you must make a concession for us here. Liza, if you would."

"I have the notation ready, Your Highness," the blonde woman responded, her voice crisp and even more regal than Elise's. She adjusted her glasses over her orange eyes and neatly set a pen to paper.

"Very good. Kiriko?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I am going to ask you to cut off all ties with the Guardian Units of Nations until the time where you no longer require my assistance. This is the only way that I will be able to provide you with the information that you desire. If you wish to contact your superiors, please do so...but the decision must be made before you choose to leave this room. These are our terms."

Alice sat down in her chair, letting out a satisfied grunt. She cast an eye towards Kiriko, who had her head down in thought. Elise looked on, calmly and sombrely.

"This decision shouldn't be made lightly," Elise said.

"You are correct, Your Highness." Kiriko touched the bracelet around her wrist. "This is a transmission from First Lieutenant Kiriko Hoshikira of the Guardian Units of Nations. As of this hour, I am aborting the current goodwill mission to the Kingdom of Soleanna. Repeat...mission has been terminated due to lack of cooperation from allied forces. Will head to rendezvous point at earliest convenience. Time of transmission, 717 hours Zulu. Over and out."

She unclipped the bracelet from her wrist and set it on the table. Pushing away her chair, she walked over to where Elise sat and got onto her knees, bowing low in front of her.

"My Queen...I pledge my allegiance to you. Whatever I must do, I will do for your sake. Anything...if only to protect my loved ones from this terrible darkness. I will sever all bonds I have in this world, if only I might have your aid for a moment."

"Rise to your feet, dear child..."

Kiriko did as told, staring up into Elise's smiling face.

"You are a woman beyond compare. Remember that, Countess."

"I...Count...ess?"

"All you in this room...hear me. We of Soleanna recognize this woman as the Countess of Sol, Lady Kiriko Hoshikira."

"Ah...I..."

Elise placed a hand on Kiriko's cheek, still smiling.

"It's alright. You'll get used to it quickly. This way, you won't have to worry about any of us locking you up, as long as you abide by the rules of the kingdom."

"R-right...right."

"I suppose we can give the _Countess_ a briefing then," Alice said lazily. "Elizabeth..."

"Of course. My Queen, whenever you are ready to begin, please do so."

"Yes, of course."

Elise layered her hands on top of each other, holding them close to her chest. She closed her eyes and concentrated.

Kiriko watched as a flame appeared out of thin air, flickering to life in her hands and glowing brightly.

"This is the beginning of your understanding. This flame...is the power that abides within me. A terrible curse, but something that became a valuable gift as I came to know it. This flame is the culmination of two powers. Iblis of the roaring, consuming flames...and Mephiles, the embodiment of darkness itself. Separate, they would cry out to each other in order to form a terrible, reality-splitting power...the god that the people of Soleanna have worshipped since the beginning of their days. My namesake...Solaris."

Elise opened her blue eyes. The flames continued to shine brightly, reflected in them.

"My father...was the Duke of Soleanna. He lost his life trying to call Solaris back to this world, to our world. But before that, he...used me to seal the flames away."

"Your-"

"Speak my name, Countess."

"...Elise..."

"Yes. That's right."

"Elise...this power. Is this what you're using to protect the kingdom?"

"It is. And there is much more to tell, Kiriko. Much...much more. Liza, Alice. Make ready the chamber."

"As you wish, Your Highness," Elizabeth said, getting up. She nodded to Alice and they left the room, closing the door behind them.

"Will you share your pain with me as well, Kiriko?"

"Freely, Elise."

"Thank you. You're so trusting...so calm."

"I live for those that I love...I have nothing to fear from this world of shadows."

Elise smiled and snuffed out the flame in her hands.


	22. The Suns of Liberty 5

a/n: Keep trying, things will look up. Eventually.

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **22\. The Suns of Liberty, Act 5**

* * *

"Omega, you'll have to stay outside. This is gonna require more than a little bit of stealth on my part."

Rouge pulled the thin USB key from the computer and slipped it into a compartment on Omega's front. She tapped it gently and nodded towards her companion.

"Understood."

"Do I look okay, hon?"

"This is hardly the time to worry about appearances. However, your emotional state has returned to near normal."

"So literal," she said with a smile. "I'll be back soon. If anything happens, I'll hit you up on the distress frequency."

"Affirmative. Be cautious, comrade."

"I will be...thanks, Omega. See you in a wink."

The two left the small room, Omega firing a laser burst into the computer drive to shut it off for good. Rouge jogged down the hall in the opposite direction.

From what she had picked up with Tails' help, she knew there were people inside of Westopolis. That was the reason the city hadn't been touched.

Rouge knew she had to get to the lower levels. She reached behind her back and drew her service pistol, a Springfield Custom M1911. Shadow had bought it for her a few years ago, and knowing she didn't like having blood on her hands often, he had it modified to shoot tranquilizer rounds. He was thoughtful when he chose to be.

She loaded the gun with ammo and looked down the sight once. Nice and reliable.

"Alright, it's time."

She slowly pushed open the door leading to the staircase. Using a light jump, she remained vertical while floating down the stairs with a single flap of her wings.

* * *

Sonic slowed his jog through Station Square to a stop, turning around to see the Egg Dragoons racing towards him.

He smirked and jumped into the air, easily avoiding the hail of bullets and cocking his left fist back. With a single motion, he swung forward, landing a slicing left hook on the nearest machine and sending it through several buildings on his right. The remaining machines tracked him and started to attack as he fell.

"The hell is this, amateur hour?! Keep up, you junk heaps!"

His feet didn't touch the ground as they anticipated.

A sonic boom ripped through the air as Sonic suddenly shot upward, slamming into a Dragoon with his elbow. He gripped the machine and boosted off it with a loud crunch, sending it crashing into the ground as he went into a spin. The blue ball suddenly glowed with light and disappeared for a split second. In the next moment, the Egg Dragoons all had car-sized holes in their midsections.

Sonic gracefully landed and adjusted his scarf as the machines exploded in the air.

"'Worthless consumer models' is right...tch." He turned to see the machine that he punched earlier, sparking and sputtering with an unsightly dent in its side. "I know you're watching, bolt-brain."

"Sonic," a flat voice said through the Egg Dragoon.

"That's my name, champ. Don't wear it out. What's your deal this time...a lust for revenge, I guess?"

"So you know," Metal Sonic said, landing the damaged machine on the ground. Sonic casually walked forward until he was a few feet in front of it, well within range of its weapons.

"Ya made it pretty obvious, coming back from the dead and all."

"My apologies for not being more forward with you, blue one."

"Spare me," Sonic spat. "You're after Amy, is that right? You wanna take her for yourself...eh." He shrugged. "Didn't think 'bots got jealous or so obsessive, but stranger things have happened."

"Once I have her, my plans will be completed in mere moments."

" _Once_ you have her? Well, damn. You're confident today."

"This world is nearly mine, hedgehog."

"All thirty five percent of it and counting, yeah." Sonic shook his head. "Metal Overlord all over again...well, I gotta admit. You played G.U.N for suckers, and it must have been some sort of fate that allowed you to survive the thrashing Ames and I gave you all that time ago. 'Specially since it wasn't the main microchip that you respawned from, after all..."

"I have not forgotten that fateful day. But...neither has she."

Sonic grunted and cocked a brow upwards. "Really got nothing else, huh? Preying on her fears like that...why don't you fight me man to man, huh?"

"We saw how that went, Sonic."

"Hahaha! You have a point! So you really are learning, eh? You might have a robot body, but you ain't a robot. No...you haven't been one for a long time." Sonic clenched his fist, a malicious grin appearing on his face. "You're just a demon. Just a monster that I gotta wipe out. Another phantom in my path...in our path. Not because I'm a hero, no...nothing to do with that. I want you _dead_ , Metal. And I know that she does too. She's craving it, man...the moment where she gets to wipe you from the face of the planet. From all existence, soul and everything else."

"You've become savages."

"Gahahaha! Savages! Oh, man...! That's hella rich coming from you, ya know?" Sonic said, roaring with laughter.

"What would your friends think of this?"

"Think? Pfft...they know about us already. They know how far we'd go for each other...and how much we hate you, you sorry bastard."

"I see."

"You haven't changed a bit, Metal. It's always a trip talking with you, corny philosophical garbage and all." Sonic gave the Dragoon a smile. "Keep in touch, champ. And don't you worry, when I find Amy, I'm gonna tell her all about this conversation. She's gonna be _deeee-lighted_ to know that you've missed her so much!"

"You-"

"Just remember, _friend._ I'm gonna put your head on a silver platter and deliver it right to her. Did you know? It was our anniversary today." Sonic tugged once at his scarf and bared his sharp teeth with a smile. "You'll make a great present...Metal Sonic."

"Farewell for now...Sonic the Hedgehog."

"Yeah."

Sonic appeared on the other side of the machine, tossing a bundle of wires and chips to the ground as he walked away.

"You take it easy, buddy. We'll be seeing ya."

The machine caught fire, fell over, and exploded.

* * *

"There's something off."

Tails looked at Knuckles as he stood beside the pilot's chair.

"What is it?"

"There's a Chaos Emerald nearby. But it's...moving."

"Might be on top of the water somewhere."

"No, no...someone has possession of it."

Tails looked at the radar. The blip was moving, as Knuckles said...but he wondered who it was holding onto the Emerald.

"Think it's one of those shady military characters?"

"It's a possibility. We'll auto scan the profile of the vessel, if there is one," the fox responded.

Wanderer brought itself below the clouds and picked up the signature of whatever was on the water. The Chaos Emerald, and...a whole lot of people. Humans, most of them.

"It's a cruise liner," Tails concluded. "I'm guessing that it's floating around, looking for an uncompromised port to stop in." He tapped a few buttons on the console and another holographic screen appeared in front of him. He reached up to tap it gently, making the image zoom in. "Let's see...good for supplies and utilities for the next few days, at least. Fuel is decent...not too big a cruise, it seems. Only five hundred people, so that helps with rationing.

" _Only_ five hundred?" Knuckles repeated sarcastically.

"Well, yeah. Most modern cruise ships can hold about five thousand people on average these days."

"Five _thousand_?"

"Yep. Hm...Knuckles, do you sense anything familiar down there?"

"Familiar?"

"People we know."

"Oh. Uh...I'm not really great with that. I can tell where spikes of energy are...does that help?" he asked.

"Yeah. Go ahead and do it."

"Okay." Knuckles closed his eyes and focused. "There's the Emerald...and a Master Emerald shard, too. Three distinct powers...no, four. Five...six. The last two are pretty faint."

"Not much to go on, but it'll do. If they've got Chaos Energy running through them, we can hope that they're friendly," Tails said as he unbuckled his seat belt.

"Where are you going?"

"You're terrible at public relations. I'll go after the Emerald and do the talking. You look for the shard."

"They're in the same place."

"Then you don't have to do anything. Just follow me."

"Who put you in charge?" Knuckles demanded.

"Shadow. Weren't you listening?"

"..." Knuckles sighed and followed Tails out of the plane. They jumped from the side door as Wanderer hovered high above the cruise ship, slowly following it on autopilot.

Tails started to spin his two tails and called on the energy inside of him to sprout an extra one in a wisp of flame. Knuckles easily glided with his dreadlocks.

"Useful trick."

Tails nodded. "It helps."

"We landing on the deck?"

"Yeah. Let's cut right to it."

"Sounds good."

The two floated down before landing gracefully on the wooden deck.

"It seems we were right to wait."

Espio walked up to them, a crown of flowers adorning his head. He had a sword strapped to his back and the same heavy gauntlets as always.

"Talk about good timing, eh?" Vector appeared next, a simple yet flashy gold chain around his neck, dotted with diamonds. He had flowers on his head as well, going around his sunglasses.

"Charmy not here?" Knuckles asked.

"Nah. He was out with Mighty an' Ray. They just called to say they were doing alright...but the planet's in real bad shape, fellas."

"We know. We're on it right now."

"You'll need this, then." Espio tossed Knuckles the shard. Knuckles nodded in thanks and put it behind his back.

"There's a Chaos Emerald here, too," Tails said.

"Yes, that would be...over there."

The four walked past the awed groups of humans towards the open deck. The Emerald was clearly visible, glowing bright blue in a gentle pair of hands.

Tails and Knuckles looked at each other, then Espio. The chameleon shrugged.

"We didn't know they would be here."

"Of all the times," Knuckles grumbled.

Tails frowned, not out of annoyance, but out of worry.

The woman in the blue sundress, and the girl in a pink shirt and shorts, a Chao on her head. All three were sleeping peacefully on their long chairs.

"Cream...Cheese...Vanilla."

He sighed and reached for his communicator.

"Shadow, come in."

"Prower...what is it?"

"We've got a situation."

"Hm. You as well, then."

Tails did _not_ like the sound of that.


	23. The Suns of Liberty 6

a/n: Die on your feet. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **23\. The Suns of Liberty, Act 6**

* * *

"We're not going to be able to contact Kiriko for a while. Possibly the entire week."

Tails cursed silently. "What's going on?"

"She's broken ties with us. That's all."

"You sound way too calm about this," Tails said. "Your subordinate has gone-" He stopped mid-sentence.

"You realize it too."

"Yeah." The fox sighed. "They forced her hand. This is a _really_ bad time, though."

"I'm giving her three days to establish contact with one of you. That woman, General Sirius...she's got a vendetta against G.U.N, and it's sure to impede our investigation. Not that I can blame her," Shadow said smugly from the other end. "But she's fascinated with the old Commander."

"Is she?"

"Very much so. But enough gossip...that was the situation I wanted to discuss with you. What about yours?"

"We got another Emerald piece and ran into the Chaotix. There's also a Chaos Emerald on this cruise liner...and Cream's holding it."

"The rabbit girl. And let me guess...the Chao and her mother are with her."

"Yep."

Shadow grumbled. "You need to start moving. Take the Emerald and go."

"No."

"No?"

Tails looked at Espio and Vector. "No. We're taking the extra bodies. The Metal Overlord incident...Cream, Cheese, and Chocola were all there. No doubt Metal is aware that Vanilla's her mom...Espio and Vector are targets, too. They're safer with us, and we can make use of them."

"You said Espio?"

"The same."

"Hm...fine, take them all on board. But keep the rabbits and Chao on your flying ship, understand? We cannot afford any liabilities."

"Right. By the way...have you talked to Rouge lately?"

"Yes, I did a while ago."

"What'd she say?"

"Nothing important. She was checking in again...I gave her an update on the current situation. She should still be in Westopolis with Omega."

Tails' eyes flickered over to Knuckles for a moment. "Just checking."

"Nothing from Sonic and Rose yet," Shadow said.

"Copy that. If anything new comes up, I'll let you know."

"Understood. I'm going radio silent in two hours. You won't be able to reach me until 1215 Zulu tomorrow. On the usual channels, anyways."

"Alright. Stay safe, Shadow."

"Right."

"Metal Sonic?" Vector asked as Tails cut the connection. "Didn't Sonic and Amy shred him a couple years back? It never stops with that guy!"

"G.U.N played with fire and paid the price," Tails said. "He jacked a bunch of Eggman's tech that he made while working for the military and modified it to do all this to the planet. As for how he came back? There was an intact microchip from the last battle."

"His thirst for vengeance brought him back to the mortal plane. No mere machine can do that," Espio concluded. "He really has developed a soul...and has possibly become a demon."

"For the love of...a _demon_?!" Vector yelled, startling the other passengers. "This just keeps gettin' worse by the second!"

"Contamination's at thirty-seven percent and rising. The spread has slowed down," Tails told them.

"The water slows the movement of the dark chi," Espio noted. Gears started to turn in Tails' head.

"Yin?"

"The same." Espio raised a brow. "I didn't think you dabbled in those kinds of arts often."

"Things changed since I got...that," he said, pointing to his still present third tail. He had it disappear in a wisp of flame soon after.

"Yes, I remember now."

"But it was actually Amy talking about that sort of stuff. Said that Metal was using it to facilitate some twisted kind of Chaos Control."

"I see. This is rather intriguing..."

"If you, Amy, and Kiriko can put your heads together, we might stand more of a chance against whatever Metal's planning."

"Speaking of the lovebirds, ain't they with you?" Vector asked.

"They're in Station Square..."

"Stallin'. I get it," Vector said gravely. "They better hope they're not in over their heads."

"Me too..."

"You said...Kiriko, Tails?" Espio asked.

"Kiriko?" Vector asked. "Who's that?"

"She was a contact for me with G.U.N a few months back," Espio told Vector. "We formed a stellar working relationship, and a strong personal bond. Her talent with the blade is inspiring. We also exchanged technique studies...from her, I learned the basics of Water Style ninjutsu."

"Sounds like you're fallin' hard, Esp."

"It's nothing like that. And either way, she has closed herself off to outside romance...she only has one person in her mind at all times."

"Really? Who?"

"It's Sonic," Knuckles interrupted. "Her face gets all red when she's near him."

"Not hard to miss," Tails quipped. "She loves him to death and back..."

"A master-servant relationship. That is all she desires from him."

"I'm sure that weird girl's love life is interesting, but can we get going and find the rest of the Master Emerald?" Knuckles said.

"Tch. Look who's grumpy all of a sudden," Vector said. He grinned at Knuckles. "Guess you're still not over her, eh?"

"Shut up."

"Hehehe..."

"Mister Vector, it's not nice to tease others!"

"Aw, sheesh. Can't a croc have his fun?"

Cream shook her head as she approached, the Chaos Emerald in her hands. She presented it to Knuckles before bounding over and smothering Tails in a hug. "Tails! Oh, it's been way way too long! Are you well?" No longer the smallest member of the group, she had matched Tails in his small bit of growth and stood level with the others. Cheese looked the same as ever.

"I'm okay, Cream. Thanks for asking...what about you?"

"I'm great, Cheese is great, and Mama is great, too! We just wanted to enjoy this cruise, but it looks like some bad things are happening..."

"No doubt. We're gonna keep you close by for protection."

"That sounds wonderful! Oh...you're sure we're not going to-"

"It's no trouble at all. I promise, Cream. You won't be in the way, far from it."

"In that case, I'm glad," she said with a sunny smile.

"I agree," Vanilla said as she patted Tails on the head. "Thank you, Tails. Still as dashing as ever, hm?"

"Vanilla, stop. I'm just doing the right thing."

She smiled and kissed him on the top of his head, making him blush. "You're doing more than you think."

"Can we _go_ now?"

"Boy, Mister Knuckles sure is grumpy today." Cream thought for a moment and nodded. "Hm...right, that look."

"What look?" he asked.

"That's the look you have when you're angry about when Miss Ro-"

"Let's get ourselves onto the plane, shall we?" Tails said quickly as he brought up his holographic keypad.

"No, what was that? What was she saying?"

"It's not important. She was just talking about...Amy! You know, Miss _Rose_?" Vanilla said quickly. "She likes to hit you, right? Doesn't that make you upset?"

"Oh...yeah, it does. Sonic's wife or not, one day I'll give her what for!"

Vanilla sighed and gave Cream a look. She made a zipping motion over her mouth and Cream nodded before doing the same.

Tails looked at Knuckles blankly.

 _I guess being so gullible is a permanent character trait, then..._

"Let's...get going," he said with a sigh. "You wanna do the honours, Knuckles?"

"What honours?"

"Haven't you been...ugh, forget it. Give Espio the Emerald."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Knuckles shrugged and handed the Chaos Emerald to Espio. The chameleon blinked as he felt a familiar pulse.

"Ah, I see."

"Thought you would. Everyone, take hold of Espio." They all did so and Tails nodded the okay.

"Very well...Chaos Control!"

* * *

Omega stood outside of Westopolis HQ patiently.

He suddenly noted something in the atmosphere around him...like it was trying to get through, but couldn't. What was it...?

"..."

Then he noticed it again. Stronger this time.

That wavelength...it was specific.

Too specific.

His systems moved into action, rifling through information in mere hundredths of a second in order to make the proper connections.

Nothing.

He couldn't contact Rouge.

He knew she was in trouble.

Omega activated his boosters without a second thought and rushed towards the front of the headquarters. He slammed through the glass doors and tore through the walls of the building directly in front of him. His sensors detected several gunshots, non-lethal ammunition fired. He stopped above his destination and aimed his guns downwards, spinning in a circle to tear the floor apart. His weight dropped him downwards and into the room where Rouge was supposed to be.

"Rouge. Rouge, respond."

He could immediately see that there were dead bodies on the floor, decomposing in the room's abnormal heat. Blood was splattered everywhere and-

There. Movement.

He shot forward with wild abandon, tearing through tables, chairs, computers, and servers that were in his path.

A pained scream.

He knew that voice pattern instantly.

"Rouge."

He tore through the rest of the room and saw her against the back wall, crying and trembling. A black mass faded away into the floor.

"Shit shit shit shit! God fucking dammit! It was a trap! A trap...! I...oh, God! It's in me! I'm gonna...gonna!"

"Rouge."

She cried out and held her arm close to her body.

The fingers were coated in black metal.

Her eyes fearfully met his.

"Omega?"

The pained expression on her face was clear.

But he would not resort to those means. There was still...hope.

There was still a chance to defy all odds.

"Omega?" she whimpered. "Sweetie? There's..."

"Negative."

The darkness was crawling up her arm. She felt sick, but stone cold at the same time.

"I don't want to go...like this..."

"You will not expire. I will not allow it."

His database quickly searched for the next number to call.

And in a second, another appeared.

"This is worse than I thought..."

Rouge felt her tears slow as she looked into his red eyes. Calm as always...but tinged with something else.

This was...anger. Pure...anger.

"We'll take you to the kid," he said. He scooped Rouge up into his arms, feeling her tremble.

"I...I have...s-something...to tell..."

He could see that it had already taken her arm.

"Omega."

The robot placed a hand on his shoulder.

In a flash of light, the three had disappeared.


	24. The Suns of Liberty 7

a/n: Let's get it. #herewego

* * *

 _Revolutionary Operation, Type Zero_

 **Kinetic Sky**

 **24\. The Suns of Liberty, Act 7**

* * *

Elise brought Kiriko into a relatively small, secure room inside of the castle. A small window at the far end was angled to fill the room with the sun's light. Elise sat at the single wooden table and Kiriko followed. A square bottle with dark liquid and two small, square glasses sat on the table in front of them.

Alice locked the door from outside and placed the key into her pocket. Elizabeth stood quietly beside her with a stopwatch in her hand, finger on the button.

"Go."

She clicked it in, and the hands started to move.

"Our time is limited," Elise said. "But we're not completely constrained. Drink," she urged as she poured from the bottle and into the small glasses. Kiriko nodded and gulped down the liquor in one smooth motion. Soothing warmth went through her body and loosened her up.

"My father sealed Iblis inside of me as a last resort. It was one of his last acts on this planet. Iblis on its own is a mindless monster, indestructible, supremely powerful once it matures. Its flames cannot be quenched once they are released. In the midst of my father's research, he determined that I was the perfect vessel for Iblis' power, and by extension that of Solaris. I do not know what he meant for me in his grand scheme." Elise knocked back the liquid in her glass before pouring more. She did the same for Kiriko. "But suffice it to say, it was nothing good."

"Why would he try to call back Solaris? To tamper with the powers of a god...it sounds foolish," Kiriko said.

"It was foolish. Nothing more. He...wanted to bring her back using the power of a god. My mother who had died of illness when I was very young. My name came from her, as her name came from her mother. Elise Solaris the Third."

"I see."

"It was the last of many attempts. The remnants of the royal flames...he used them as the basis for his experimentation. Iblis was safely stowed inside of me and Mephiles was caught before he could do any sort of damage. But I found myself drawn to his container...the Scepter of Darkness. Sometimes I would hold it in my hands and have visions. I would see his form, a twisted reflection of myself. But still I would go back and touch the Scepter. Still I would be curious as to the power inside of me. After the death of my father...I learned much from Mephiles. And it was those teachings that gave me a reckless idea."

"Reckless, Elise?"

"I came upon a Chaos Emerald. I tired of Mephiles and his taunting...Iblis' flames were stoked inside of me with each meeting we had. I secluded myself and drew on the power of Chaos, bit by bit in secret." Elise downed another glass of liquor and poured from the bottle again. Kiriko followed and held out her glass to be filled.

"And then?"

"I confronted Mephiles in a dreamscape of my own creation. He almost killed me, but I had a trump in mind."

"Iblis."

"Yes," Elise said with a small smile. "I controlled Iblis for long enough that I could fatally wound him in my world. He became frightened, Kiriko. So very frightened...he told me that he didn't want to disappear. So I pledged not to kill him."

"Because you needed him."

"Yes. I wanted to become one with him, my personal shade. I took him into myself...and I made that stupid beast Iblis submit before I drew him into myself as well."

Kiriko drank from her glass and set it down. Her golden eyes stared into Elise's blue, reverent and understanding.

"You did what your father could not, My Queen."

"I did."

"You've become a goddess."

"Yes. I have. This barrier around the country is thanks to the power of Solaris. My power."

"What does it consist of?"

"Purely space-time manipulation. The dark power outside has no chance of penetrating it as it is. But this shell of mine..."

"It is limited."

"For now, at least. I fear that...if I should cast it off, I will have no way of going back to what I was before. I will no longer be able to dwell among my people. And I love them dearly."

"I can see that clearly, Elise. It must be a hard decision..."

"But one that will have to be made soon. The power of this barrier can be partially replicated by the power of Chaos, in Chaos Control. From what I can sense, one of the causes of this terrible darkness is Chaos Control itself."

"It's sealing the essence of life away," Kiriko said. "Inside of several containers."

"I see." Elise stood up and sealed the bottle. "We will begin a counter attack immediately."

"A counter attack?"

"Yes. I will use my power to assist the military in terms of long range strikes from here. I must remain in the kingdom in order to protect it with my power."

"Elise...I know he will be coming here."

"Do you really believe so?"

"Yes."

She nodded and gently placed a hand on Kiriko's cheek.

"Then we will prepare for war at once. Will you stay by my side, Kiriko?"

The hedgehog placed her hand over Elise's.

"I shall, My Queen. I place my life in your hands."

"Bless you, Countess."

They both heard the click of the lock and started towards the door together. Alice opened it as they walked through, and Elizabeth clicked her stopwatch.

"Right on schedule," Alice said.

"Quite," Elizabeth replied.

"Alice...prepare for combat operations. Kiriko, give her all the access she needs to plan against Metal Sonic."

"My Queen," she said with a bow. Alice gave her a nod and the two started on their way.

"Liza, escalate to Alert Level One. Activate Solar Flare immediately."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Before that, take me to Pulse Operations."

"Of course." She adjusted her glasses with one hand and turned swiftly. "Follow me, My Queen."

* * *

"Hey, listen! It's no big deal in the end, right?"

"I told you that I didn't want to talk about it!"

Knuckles growled and adjusted his hat as Vector crossed his arms. They were at the Wanderer's main bridge, arguing as Tails directed the plane towards another Master Emerald piece.

"If you keep it all bottled up-"

"I said to cut it out! And why do you even want to do this here, of all places?"

"Because I know how you get, Knuckles. You get real distracted," the crocodile stated.

"There's nothing to talk about. Tails, how far out are we?" Knuckles asked.

"Ten minutes or so."

"Can't this thing go any faster?"

"It can but-"

"Then pick up the pace!"

"You and I both know that stopping in mid-air on a dime is harder than it looks. If I'm gonna get you to the right location, it has to be at a reasonable speed so we can actually stop near the Emerald shard. Got it?"

"Don't get smart with me, kid..."

"Get smart? I think I know a bit more about flying planes than you," Tails shot back.

"What was that?"

"You heard me. I said that _I'm_ running the show here, and just because you're upset that Vector's grilling you doesn't-"

"I oughta-"

"Hey, there's no need for you two-"

"Knuckles, please stop."

"Vanilla, I don't mean to be rude but you need to stay-"

"Leave her alone, she's being reasonable."

"This has nothing to do with her or you, Tails."

"It has plenty to do with all of us, and you know it."

"Tails has a point."

"Butt out, Espio."

"Why is everyone fighting?"

"Chao!"

Tails just barely caught the flash of light. He tilted his head upwards to see a familiar black form, and shoved his way past a disgruntled Knuckles to see what was going on.

"Shadow?"

"Kid. I need your help. Now."

He didn't hesitate as he saw Rouge cradled in Shadow's arms, Omega standing beside him.

"Nobody else follow," Shadow said firmly. He walked off in another direction, Tails moving quickly after him. "Get us a secure room."

"Take the first one on your left; I'll lock it from the inside."

"Omega, the door."

"Affirmative."

The three ducked inside of the first room the saw as the door slid open. Omega stood in front of it as it closed, and Tails punched numbers into a keypad to keep it that way. Shadow set Rouge down on the nearby bed.

Tails felt his heart chill once he looked at her.

"What...what is...?"

"I think Metal Sonic got to her. I had a feeling Westopolis was a trap, but I didn't realize how big a trap it was..."

The light had disappeared from her eyes as she lay quietly, stuck in a stupor.

The right side of her body was coated in black metal.

"It shouldn't be progressing this quickly..."

"Emotional distress...it's disrupting her focus. She would be able to resist it easily if she were in a proper frame of mind. I should have addressed it earlier...but I-"

"You can't think a million steps ahead all the time, Shadow. Don't beat yourself up."

"..."

"But...I know what I've gotta do. Get ready to stabilize me. Knock me right out if it comes down to it. I think I'm gonna have to go for seven, if the last time was any indication..."

"Right. The Doctor mentioned it in passing. Rose...she released the seals?"

"Yeah. Said it was the only way." Tails grit his teeth as the energy inside of him started to stir. "Here we go. You've got ten seconds to get ready, Shadow."

"Understood."

Tails placed his hands on Rouge's side, feeling her shake like a leaf. Tears slid down and sideways on her cheeks.

 _This is gonna hurt...but it'll hurt more to watch you die. That's not gonna happen on my watch._

Wisps of flame streamed off of his back.

"I'm ready," Shadow growled.

Tails nodded, his eyes shifting to a fiery red.

"Let's go."


End file.
